Michael McVeigh obituary | Fashion

My father, Michael McVeigh, who has died aged 79, spent his life working within the menswear trade, having began out in the course of the London trend increase of the Nineteen Sixties and 70s. He co-owned boutiques in Chelsea and later ran profitable retailers in Bathtub, additionally travelling round Britain in his dream job as a window dresser for upmarket shops.Mike was born in Ealing, west London, and grew up on the opposite aspect of the capital in East Ham. He was the youngest of the 4 youngsters of Sarah (nee McGrath) and Archie McVeigh, who had moved to London from Belfast. Archie, a service provider seaman, was typically away from house; Sarah introduced up their youngsters, Terry, Gerald, Marie and Mike.Mike went to Thomas Lethaby faculty in East Ham, however left with none {qualifications} – he most well-liked being the category clown to learning. His love of American trend and artistic aptitude helped him to rapidly construct a fame as a contract window dresser in West Finish outfitters.Slicing-edge menswear retailers comparable to Cecil Gee and Michael Barrie gave him artistic licence to advertise their sharp kinds, and he went on to supply window shows for Harrods and Selfridges. He additionally labored as a gross sales assistant, serving celebrities from Groucho Marx to Mick Jagger, and constructing a meticulous information of tailoring. In 1968 he married Vivien Dixon, they usually went on to have a daughter, Leah.In 1972, Mike opened his first boutique, The Emperor of Wyoming, with Billy Murphy, a pal and colleague with whom he shared Irish roots. Named after a Neil Younger observe and specialising in imported Americana, it turned a trend hotspot on Kings Highway, Chelsea, and shortly opened a second department.Michael McVeigh modelling garments for his boutique, The Emperor of Wyoming, on Kings Highway, Chelsea, in 1972Mike flew out to the US on enterprise within the mid-70s and took an impromptu highway journey, fulfilling a lifelong dream. Again in London, although, his marriage and his enterprise partnership each resulted in fast succession, and he sought a brand new begin.Mike initially returned to window dressing, transferring round earlier than settling in Bathtub together with his new associate, Hilary Sterrett, with whom he had two youngsters, my youthful sister, Sabrina, and me. Collectively, Mike and Hilary ventured into the town’s bohemian trend scene, and within the mid-80s Mike opened Biffo, a menswear retailer frequented by bands together with Echo & the Bunnymen and Tears for Fears.Biffo was later rebranded as Mike’s Nation & Western Retailer, however the early 90s recession led to the enterprise closing and Mike returned to gross sales. He excelled at it, making the Bathtub go well with division certainly one of River Island’s most profitable.His later profession took in menswear chains together with Burton and Moss Bros, and two stints managing charity retailers in Devizes, Wiltshire. These roles allowed him to as soon as once more showcase his information, eye for high quality and shop-front talent.When he and Hilary separated in 2008, Mike moved to Salisbury and finally settled into an almshouse. He appeared to discover a new contentment there, earlier than dementia started to chip away at his independence. He confronted the scenario with dignity, dry humour and a mode that by no means left him.Mike is survived by Leah, Sabrina and me.