The two first met at Walthamstow Art School in 1955 and then studied together at the Royal College of Art. From there, their professional design venture began with a successful trendy boutique based in Carnaby Street. Even renowned designer Zandra Rhodes describes them as “the Queens of Carnaby Street’ 

The Foale and Tuffin style was cool, fun, young and trendy. They captured the zeitgeist and designed for the people of the moment. It was a time for self styling and home made apparel and the designers took this chance to create a business base on this idealism. Even though they were designers from the sixties, their pieces still exudes modernity with pop inspired mini dresses and trend-setting trouser suits. The exhibition takes the viewer to gain a personal look into the lives of these two brilliant understated designers with a recreation of their creative hub from their boutique to their showroom and their design studio. Viewers can gain a great insight into the designers working life in the sixties.

Legendary designer Paul Smith has contributed to this exhibition and credits Foale and Tuffin to be the inspirations of sixties fashions scene. ‘I am thrilled to support Sally and Marion and open Foale and Tuffin – Made in England, this fabulous new exhibition at the Fashion and Textile Museum. Marion and Sally were really influential in setting the London fashion scene in the sixties and this exhibition evokes wonderful and fond memories of their boutique and design studio. It is terrific to look back at the designs and styles of the swinging sixties.’ 

In celebration of the exhibition and the duo, renowned fashion writer Iain R Webb has also written a book charting the designers' work Foale and Tuffin. The Sixties – A decade in fashion. Also to tie in with the exhibition, Marion Foale and Sally Tuffin have designed some products exclusively for sale in the Shop@FTM, including T-shirts, bags, hats, scarves and vases. There is also a packed programme of talks and workshops that relate to the exhibition including A Walk Back Through the Sixties, Foale and Tuffin Unzipped and the designers will be hosting master classes in Knitting with Marion Foale and Ceramics with Sally Tuffin.  

Information on the exhibition: The Foale and Tuffin – Made in England exhibition will be open from 23rd October 2009 until 24th February 2010 Exhibition opening times are 11.00am-6.00pm Wednesday to Sunday. Last admission5.15pmTicket prices are £6.50 for adults, £3.50 for students and concessions, free entry for under 12sFor further information about the FTM and its activities visit www.ftmlondon.org 

All images taken by photographer Kirstin Sinclair