I made this jacket for Twiggy in the early 70s, which is why it’s so tiny. It was an early sample. I just said: “Do you want to wear it?” We were doing lots of clothes for her at the time – we were one of the few labels that did such small sizes.
I’ve always been inspired by leopard print. When we had the big store in Kensington, we had it everywhere. Leopard print never dies, but it can look a bit tacky if it hasn’t been done nicely. If you get the print and the colourway right – if the base colours are correct and the spots aren’t too large – it’s fabulous.
This particular jacket feels completely up to date. The shape is fantastic, with big shoulders, but not too exaggerated. I like the V-shape at the front. Some things just come right from the beginning.
I think we sold it for about £25 – now, in vintage shops, it would be £3,000 or more. We used to do small runs and repeat them if they were good and they sold, so we were never stuck with anything. I think we would have made about 400 of these jackets – and the boys discovered them, too.
I didn’t keep much. I had friends who borrowed stuff and never gave it back. After Biba closed, we went to Brazil to produce more clothes. We took everything, including samples and the first patterns, and Fitz [Stephen Fitz-Simon, Hulanicki’s late husband] said: “This is holding you back; you’ve got to throw it all out.”
I had sent this jacket to Fitz’s sister – it’s her who has kept it all these years. She sent it back to me a few months ago – she had been longingly looking at it, but couldn’t get into it, either. I think that clothes carry so much emotion in them; I was thrilled to get it back.
