Mary Quant was born in London to a French mother and British father. Quant's father worked for the British Navy, and her family moved around the world due to his work. They lived in North Africa, India, Ceylon, Japan, Singapore, Malaya, Hong Kong, England, Canada, Egypt, Cyprus and Egypt again before finally settling in England. Mary was educated at St Paul's Girls School and studied fashion design at Somerset House School of Art
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After the war she made her own clothes for a time before getting a job as an assistant to Ossie Clark at his boutique. The designer Ralph Lauren hired her as his personal assistant in 1954. She became the head designer for the American fashion house of Charles Jourdan in 1957.
In 1960 she designed "The Mini" for Austin Reed, which revolutionized women's fashion by making clothing affordable to all women. She founded her own fashion company called Mary Quant Inc., which produced stylish clothing for young working women. She was also a successful businesswoman who developed the first jogging suit and co-founded the London Marathon with Sir Hugh Beaver in 1981.
Her designs were worn by Princess Diana and Queen Elizabeth II, among others.