My uncle, Jim O’Connor, who has passed away from cancer aged 80, was an influential designer whose highly innovative approach made him a key figure in London fashion in the late 1960s and early ’70s. Using a pop-influenced approach and bright primary colours, Jim always strived to ensure his designs were inspiring and accessible to everyone.
A hard-working student with plenty of energy and enthusiasm, Jim had no desire to look to France or haute couture for inspiration while studying at the Royal College of Art. His lecturers were worried about his future, but his graduation show in 1968 was a big hit and he was featured in Vogue. Another feature in 1969 said, “Jim O’Connor is a brilliant designer with no manufacturer, no boutique and no money, no time to rest. He has a fresh, direct new way of looking at things and what he makes is a joy.”
In 1970, Jim began working at Mr. Freedom, a clothing boutique and label started by Tommy Roberts, completing a project he’d been working on for several years: brightly colored winged boots, like those worn by Elton John. At Mr. Freedom, Jim met fellow designer Pamla Motown, and the two became a freelance team working on a knitwear collection for Jeff Banks, which was featured in the Sunday Times in January 1972 but never went into production.
Jim and Pam married in 1976. Finding it difficult to commercialize their designs, they moved to New York where they found some success, including selling out their punk collection at Macy’s department store four times in 1977. In 1978 they moved to Los Angeles and opened their own boutique, Poseur, where they had control over design, manufacturing and retail. In 1981 the boutique moved to the Melrose Avenue district of West Hollywood and became a highly influential punk and mod shop. Jim continued to run the shop even after his divorce from Pam.
Michael Jackson bought Jim’s bondage jacket from Poser, recreated it in leather without Jim’s permission, and wore it on the cover of his 1987 album Bad. Jackson tried to claim he designed the jacket himself, but Jim quickly proved otherwise, showing Jackson’s credit card receipts and the original design.
By 1989 Jim realised Poseur was becoming a constraint rather than an inspiration and decided to close the business and move to Japan where he worked as an English teacher for two years. In 1991 he returned to Los Angeles and worked in various design related positions before becoming a teacher at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising in Los Angeles. In 2023 he returned to the UK to be closer to family.
Jim was born in Battersea, London, the youngest of three children to Larry, a trade union representative, and Violet, a caterer and book clerk. Both parents were members of the Communist Party, and Jim was an active member of the Young Communist League and the Nuclear Disarmament Campaign from a young age. He attended Sir Walter St John’s School for Boys (known as “Shinjun’s”) and studied sculpture at St Martin’s School of Art for three years before going on to the Royal College of London.
Some of Jim’s designs are on display in the V&A Fashion Collection and can be viewed online.
He is survived by his brother Bob, two nieces and three nephews.
