John Stephen

Who was John Stephen?

John Stephen, dubbed by the media "The £1m Mod" and "The King Of Carnaby Street", was one of the most important fashion figures of the 1960s.

Stephen was the first individual to identify and sell to the young menswear mass market which emerged in the late 50s and early 60s. He was also the pioneer of the high turnover, disposable fashion ethos of such contemporary operators as Topman.

By 1967, Stephen operated a chain of 15 shops on the thoroughfare in central London which he and boyfriend Bill Franks made the epicentre of Swinging London: Carnaby Street.

"Carnaby is my creation," Stephen said in 1967. "I feel about it the same way Michelangelo felt about the beautiful statues he created."