KAHN & BELL

(Kahn & Bell by Paul Edmond)

Kahn & Bell was a fashion label and boutique founded by Jane Kahn and Patti Bell in 1976. Located on Hurst Street, Birmingham, England. Their clothing depicted the New Romantic style, it was elaborate and theatrical. They brought together a wide range of influences, including African, Egyptian and Far Eastern art, and combined them with elements of futurism, fantasy and Fetish. Kahn & Bell designed clothes for some of the most popular bands during the 80's including Duran Duran and Shock.

(Shock wearing Kahn & Bell)

"Patti and Jane were the queen and princess of the Birmingham New Romantic scene as fashion designers.  They were the kingpins.  They had their shop Kahn & Bell in Hurst Street.  Patti was the Vivienne Westwood of Birmingham with Jane as Zandra Rhodes.  Jane was perhaps slinghtly more refined in her fashion design and Patti was the more outrageous one,  the most outgoing."  - Paul Edmonds.

(Adele wearing Kahn & Bell, by Paul Edmond)

 'New Sounds New Styles' was a New Romantic magazine that ran from 1981-1982. The magazine commented that while Kahn & Bell where often one step ahead of the designers from the capital" they often got little recognition, and when "similarities to London designers were spotted in their collections, it was often assumed that Birmingham had copied London".

(Tik and Tok modelling with Vivienne Lynn, wearing Kahn & Bell, by David Bailey for Ritz Newspaper)

"Kahn and Bell had particular impact. Holding court at the Zanzibar, resplendent in leopardskin and padded shoulders, dripping diamonte with leather devils' tails hanging down between their legs, they looked on good nights like Egyptian Queens, like Ancient Babylonians. On not so good nights, they resembled Brassaï's Moma Bijou -"fugitives from Baudelaire's bad dreams", and even then they looked magnificent. For Kahn and Bell and those who followed their lead, identity wasn't something you nailed yourself into in late adolescence. It was a trick of the light, and if you were to avoid burning yourself out (a real risk this, when you sold clothes all day and promoted them all night), then you simply let the flames lick over you and turned the ashes into kohl." - Blueprint, 1988. 

(Kahn & Bell Fashion Roller Show, By Paul Edmond)

"Birmingham's most influential alternative fashion team Kahn & Bell,  puts the finishing touches to roller-skater Jay,  who stole the show at Bact To Front roller fashion show at London club Heaven last month.  Fashion mixes with music and movement.  White leather breatshield and skirt with brass/diamante studs,  coins and bells."  - New Sounds New Styles, October 1981.

(Kahn & Bell, by David Rimmer)

"Things happened differently in Birmingham and was in some measure down to Patti Bell and Jane Kahn.  From the point where they teamed up in the mid-Seventies,  both the outrageous garments on offer at their Hurst Street shop and their flamboyant presence on the small but growing scene kept the freak flag  flying through the day of punk."  -  New Romantics, The Look by Dave Rimmer.

(Kahn & Bell, by Virginia Turbett)

(Kahn & Bell's clothing in New Sounds New Style)

It was argued over the years the Kahn & Bell never reached their full potential as designers living in Birmingham. London is the capital of UK fashion and it it thought that Kahn & Bell missed their window of opportunity by not relocating there, not licensing their brand and not compromising their unique style. 

Kahn and Bell eventually went their separate ways in the 1980s. Kahn was always seen as the more ambitious of the two and relocated to London. She began her own label 'Kahniverous'  and enjoyed a little success alone but was never able to recreate the "look" that Kahn and Bell had previously achieved. Bell continued with her inspired and unusual collections. With clients and customers from all over Europe, South East Asia and Japan.