Rare Mr Fish tie found in Age UK Portswood store is at museum

A tie designed by the leading menswear designer Michael Fish was bought for 99p by 65-year-old charity shop enthusiast Janneke van der Wal at the Age UK store in Portswood Road.

Research revealed its cultural value, so she contacted the Museum of London.

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Now the Seventies fashion artefact is being displayed at the Museum of London Docklands as part of its latest exhibition Fashion City: How Jewish Londoners shaped global style.

Janneke said she was 'thrilled' to see the tie being on show: "I'm not in the habit of buying ties at all, but I saw it out of the corner of my eye and there was just something about it: the vibrant colours and the width.

"It reminded me of the Seventies.

“I had absolutely no use for it, but thought perhaps it would come in handy if there ever was a fancy dress party.”

She added: "It just goes to show, you never know what you might find."

This type of tie, with its exaggerated wide shape, became known as a ‘kipper tie’- a name created as a pun on the designer’s name, Michael Fish.

The boundary-pushing menswear designer was a key figure of the 1960s-70s counterculture movement the ‘peacock revolution’ and would go on to launch his own business Mr Fish.

Known for his bold use of colour and pattern, Fish revitalised staples of British menswear and played with innovative silhouettes for men.

His designs were worn by notable celebrities including Mick Jagger, Muhammad Ali, Jimi Hendrix, and Michael Caine.

He dressed Sean Connery for his first role as James Bond, and David Bowie famously wore a Mr Fish dress on the cover of his 1970 album The Man Who Sold the World.

Nikky Broom is manager at the Portswood shop and said nothing like this has happened in her 12 years at the helm.

She said: "We remember the tie and we mentioned how it was an interesting colour but we didn’t think much of it.

"We found out about it when the museum phoned up and told us about it. It was quite lovely and nice to see it. It goes to show what you can still find in a charity stop.

"Charity shops are not things of the past. If people are not going to one, people are missing out.

"It would have been a shame for the tie to have ended up at the tip, if no one had bought it."

From East End tailors to the couture salons of the West End, Fashion City tells the story of Jewish designers, makers and retailers who made London an iconic fashion city.

The tie is one of a number of second-hand pieces featured in the exhibition including an Alexon coat bought from a charity shop for beloved EastEnders character Dot Cotton.

Dr Lucie Whitmore, curator of Fashion City said: “Like so many items in Fashion City, these pieces were designed to last and have been treasured by their owners, passed down through families, or worn and resold. It is all part of the fabric of their history."

The tie is on display until April 14, with tickets from £13. Visit the Museum of London Docklands website for more information.