Jean Muir

Jean Elizabeth Muir ( ; 17 July 1928 – 28 May 1995) was a British fashion designer.

Early life and career Jean Muir was born in London, the daughter of Cyril Muir, a draper's floor superintendent, and his wife, Phyllis Coy. Her father was an Aberdonian, and Muir would attribute her creative pragmatism and self-discipline to this Scottish ancestry. Her parents separated while she was still a child, and she and her brother Christopher were brought up in Bedford by their mother. She was educated at the Bedford Girls' Modern School (subsequently renamed Dame Alice Harpur School, and as of 2010, merged into the Bedford Girls' School). She showed a precocious talent for needlework, claiming to have been able to knit, embroider, and sew by the age of six. While there, she helped develop the Young Jaeger fashion label.

Jane & Jane (1962–1966) Upon leaving Jaeger, Muir was approached by David Barnes, a mass-market jersey dress manufacturer, who was keen to have her talents on board as a designer for his brand. Muir declined, as she did not wish to design for the mass market. Muir used Liberty textiles in many of her designs.

After Muir left in 1966 to launch Jean Muir Ltd., the Jane & Jane brand was sold to the ready-to-wear fashion house Susan Small, where it continued for several years before quietly disappearing circa 1970.

Jean Muir Ltd. (1966–2007) Jean Muir Ltd. was founded in August 1966 by Jean Muir and her husband Harry Leuckert in partnership. The first collection was presented in October. During the 1980s, Muir sometimes decorated clothing with sequins.

The company continued despite Jean Muir's death in 1995. Leuckert continued his directorship, while the designs were produced under the supervision of Joyce Fenton-Douglas and a group of four designers who had all formerly worked with Muir. On 19 January 2007, the directors announced that Jean Muir Ltd. would be closing down. Leuckert made a statement to the effect that he had hoped that they could take the retail route based on the success of the Conduit Street shop. This required substantial outside investment, but they had not been able to come to any agreement with interested parties. He further said:

"It is sad, but I believe this is the way Jean would have wanted it. I have, of course, had offers, but I do not want Jean's name to fall into the wrong hands and be mis-used. That would be horrendous and she would have hated it."

In 1967, Muir provided Eleanor Bron's wardrobe for the 1967 film Bedazzled. She did the wardrobe for only one other film, Betrayal, in 1983. Muir's designs were also worn by public figures such as the author and historian Lady Antonia Fraser and publisher Carmen Callil. In 1976, Leuckert fathered a daughter, Friederike, with another woman. His wife was aware of this, and Leuckert continued to live with her whilst paying regular visits to his daughter and her mother, Ingrid, in Germany. According to Friederike, this was normal:

"People find that hard to believe, but Miss Muir knew about it, my mother knew about it and I knew about it. Nothing was hidden, but nor was it public".

In April 2021 English Heritage announced that Muir was one of six women who they were honouring with a blue plaque this year, marking the central London showroom and office of her flagship brand, Jean Muir Ltd.