Exclusive: Inside Paradise Garage at 430 King’s Road with Electric Colour Company, 1971
//Interior, 430 King's Road, Chelsea, May 1971. Note coconut matting, shack-style dressing room doors, trompe de l'oeil gate painted on stockroom door... and fake tiger. Photography: David Parkinson.//
I first wrote about Electric Colour Company – the design studio formed in the East End by four fine art students in the late 60s – in The Look and then in more detail here.
//Amid the singlets, printed sweatshirts and appliqued denim, a bamboo cage housed birds of paradise, suspended from the matting covered ceiling.//
In my view, ECC deserves much greater recognition for executing some very clever work in the field of retail design and interiors in the period 1969-1973.
Commissions from entrepreneurs such as the late Tommy Roberts (at the first Mr Freedom at 430 King’s Roadin 1969) and his partner Trevor Myles (who came up with the concept for Paradise Garage at the same address in 1971) progressed the British boutique style from 60s Swinging London/psychedelic roots, paving the way for the tougher aesthetic of the 70s and 80s in such outlets as Malcolm McLaren’s environmental experiments at the same premises (Let It Rock, Too Fast To Live Too Young To Die, Sex, Seditionaries, World’s End).
//Sales counter formed by painted oil drums.//
//Trevor Myles in Paradise Garage leopard print jeans receives a ticket for his tiger-stripe flocked Mustang.//
//Andrew Greaves in playing card shirt at the store.//
Now Andrew Greaves, founder ECC member and keeper of the flame, has launched a website to showcase the group’s range of projects, and has included some of these previously unpublished shots inside Paradise Garage, along with images and information relating to other projects such as the short-lived Chelsea boutique Blueberry Hill, the Time Out building, Mr Freedom and Roberts’ later store City Lights Studio, cars including Myles’ tiger-stripe flocked Mustang and even an aeroplane.
Visit the Electric Colour Company website here.
More about Paradise Garage here and here.
Read about Malcolm McLaren’s transformation of the outlet into Let It Rock here.