City of Westminster
Item No.
CMfCS/13/
2005
Decision-maker
Date
Title of Report
CABINET MEMBER
FOR CUSTOMER
SERVICES
9 May
2005
COMMEMORATIVE GREEN
PLAQUE TO JOHN STEPHEN (19342004)
CLASSIFICATION FOR GENERAL
RELEASE
Report of Director of Planning and
City Development
Wards Involved
West End
Policy Context
The commemorative Green Plaques scheme
complements a number of Council strategies: to
improve the legibility and understanding of
Westminster’s heritage and social history; to provide
information for Westminster’s visitors; to provide
imaginative and accessible educational tools to
raise awareness and understanding of local areas,
particularly for young people; to celebrate the
richness and diversity of Westminster’s former
residents.
Financial Summary
Cost of plaque and installation will be met by
sponsorship
1.1
1.2
2.1
Summary
The plaque will be placed on the front façade of 1-2 Carnaby
Street.
The proposal has been forwarded by the family and friends of
the late John Stephen, founder of men’s 1960’s fashions and
Carnaby Street as the centre for stylish, contemporary
menswear.
RECOMMENDATION
That the nomination for a commemorative green plaque for John
Stephen be approved, subject to sponsorship in full.
3.
3.1
Background Information
The Green Plaques Scheme was launched in 1991 when a plaque
commemorating Winston Churchill was unveiled on Caxton Hall, SW1.
By the end of March 2004, 57 plaques had been installed and
unveiled. The Scheme is valued by local residents and has been
sponsored and supported in the majority of cases by both residents'
associations, amenity groups and local businesses.
4.
Detail
4.1
John Stephen was born on 28th August 1934 in Glasgow. he came
down to London when he was 18 and began to work for Moss Bros in
Covent Garden. Just 4 years later he opened his first shop in a modest
premises in Beak Street and a year later in 1957 moved around the
corner to no. 5 Carnaby Street, making up his designs at the back of
the shop.
4.2
Stephen had the idea of bringing colour and sex appeal into
menswear. His charismatic charm and imaginative avant garde men’s
styles coincided with the youth explosion in pop music and film. It all
came together in carnaby Street, where John Stephen and the street
became synonymous with each other and together spelled Swinging
London.
4.3
By the mid 1960s there were John Stephen shops all over the United
States, in Rome and Oslo, and in Ischia they renamed the street
Carnaby when he opened his shop there.
4.4
A pioneer of pop clothing, Stephen’s wild designs in daring colours
showed showed off the male physique and were young and fun, they
were revolutionary and very noticeable. Stephen changed the face of
menswear retailing with clothes that were affordable, with a fast
turnover of eyecatching and often outrageous looks. And Carnaby
Street had become the world centre for male fashion, not just a
shopping destination but a tourist attraction.
4.5
Right from the beginning, Stephen had a discerning eye and a great
talent for promotion. In the late 1950s, he imported the first ever Levis
to the UK . He was also the youngest person at 20, to purchase and
drive a Rolls Royce.
4.6
In 1968 Stephen ventured into wholesaling, opening a large factory
with about 100 employees in the poorest part of his home town of
Glasgow where unemployment was highest.
4.7
Stephen reigned in Carnaby Street throughout the swinging Sixties and
into the next decade, taking his company public in 1972, before selling
it in 1975.
4.8
While the John Stephen brand continued under new ownership, from
1976 onwards, Stephen reinvented himself as Francisco-M with shops
in Queensway and New Bond Street, selling cutting edge fashion from
Italy and france. He also moved into franchising, bringing the Lanvin
label to boutiques in Knightsbridge and Bond Street until 2002 when illhealth forced him to retire.
4.9
During this period, John Stephen was honoured with retrospective
exhibitions at the Victoria and Albert Museum, whose costume
department still hold his complete archive.
5.
5.1
Financial Implications
The plaque will cost in the region of £ 300.00. The proposer will meet
the cost of this plaque in full.
6.
6.1
Legal Implications
Owners and occupiers have been approached, and have no objection.
No other issues or implications to report.
7.
7.1
Staffing Implications
None
8.
8.1
Performance Plan Implications
This nomination will contribute to the quota of up to 5 plaques annually.
9.
9.1
Consultation
The owners and occupiers of the building support the proposal.
10.
10.1
Crime and Disorder Act
No issues arising.
11.
11.1
Health and Safety Issues
No issues arising.
12.
12.1
Human Rights Act 1998
No issues arising.
13.
13.1
Conclusion
John Stephen made an enormous contribution to men’s fashion in
Westminster, and put Carnaby Street on the map. Although he died
recently in February 2004, it would be appropriate to commemorate
him so that his four sisters and two brothers may attend the unveiling.
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUERIES ABOUT THIS REPORT OR WISH TO
INSPECT ANY OF THE BACKGROUND PAPERS, PLEASE
CONTACT GILLIAN M DAWSON
ON 020 7641 2457; EMAIL ADDRESS gdawson@westminster.gov.uk;
FAX NUMBER 020 7641 3050
BACKGROUND PAPERS
The documents used or referred to in compiling the report were: 1. Committee Reports establishing the Green Plaques Scheme
2. Design of the proposed plaque
3. Photomontage showing plaque on front of building
4. Map showing location of the building
5. letter from proposer confirming sponsorship
For completion by Cabinet Member
Declaration of Interest

I have no interest to declare in respect of this report
Signed ……………………………. Date ………………………………
NAME:

I have to declare an interest
State nature of interest ……..……………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………..
Signed ……………………………. Date …………………………………
NAME:
(N.B: If you have an interest you should seek advice as to whether it is
appropriate to make a decision in relation to this matter.)
For the reasons set out above, I agree the recommendation in the report
entitled Commemorative Green Plaque for John Stephen.
Signed ………………………………………………
Cabinet Member for ……………………………….
Date …………………………………………………
If you have any additional comment which you would want actioned in
connection with your decision you should discuss this with the report author
and then set out your comment below before the report and this pro-forma is
returned to the Secretariat for processing.
Additional comment: …………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………….
………………………………………………………………………………………….
NOTE: If you do not wish to approve the recommendations, or wish to make
an alternative decision, it is important that you consult the report author, the
Director of Legal and Administrative Services, the Director of Finance and, if
there are staffing implications, the Head of Human Resources (or their
representatives) so that (1) you can be made aware of any further relevant
considerations that you should take into account before making the decision
and (2) your reasons for the decision can be properly identified and recorded,
as required by law.
Note to Cabinet Member: Your decision will now be published and
copied to the Members of the relevant Overview & Scrutiny Committee.
If the decision falls within the criteria for call-in, it will not be
implemented until five working days have elapsed from publication to
allow the Overview and Scrutiny Committee to decide whether it wishes
to call the matter in.