The fashion world has lost one of its most audacious, uncompromising visionaries. Pam Hogg — the Scottish iconoclast who dressed rebellion in PVC and made the catsuit a weapon of mass seduction — has died, her family confirmed via Instagram. “Pamela’s creative spirit and body of work touched the lives of many people of all ages and she leaves a magnificent legacy that will continue to inspire, bring joy and challenge us to live beyond the confines of convention,” the statement read.
Hogg was born in Paisley in 1951, but it was in the London of the late ’70s where she truly combusted, first fronting punk band Rubbish, and next becoming a mainstay of the iconic Blitz Club. An era for the New Romantics, the club was as much a cornerstone of culture and fashion as it was music — something reflected in the door policy. Hogg’s answer to that sartorial gauntlet was making her own clothes.
Having studied Fine Art and Textiles at Glasgow School of Art, then a master’s at the Royal College of Art, London, it was a task Hogg was well-equipped for. Her first collection Psychedelic Jungle (1981), in all its punk glory, detonated across the New Wave landscape and catapulted her into the fashion scene. It marked the start of a journey that saw Hogg initiate the catsuit into clubwear, dress celebrities spanning Kylie Minogue and Kate Moss to Rihanna and Lady Gaga, and grace several generations with her theatrical runway spectacles.
Closer to home, Hogg has been a constant source of inspiration for HUNGER. She featured on hungermagazine.com extensively for her collections, collaborated on HUNGER Issue 2 (2012) and worked with editor-in-chief Rankin on projects spanning charity fundraisers to editorial shoots. The designer’s loss will be strongly felt in the fashion and editorial space, but Hogg will leave a legacy that extends far beyond her work within it. As the designer’s family put it, “Pam Hogg didn’t just make clothes. She made believers.”
- Photos by Rankin
