The Westminster Menswear Archive (WMA) has announced that renowned British fashion designer Peter Golding has donated 23 garments from across his 40-year career to the Archive. These pieces, ranging from Golding’s 1960s shirts to his pioneering denim creations of the 1970s and further designs from the 1980s and 1990s, will become part of WMA’s permanent collection, where they will be preserved and made available for study and exhibition.
Peter Golding FCSD, often dubbed the Eric Clapton of denim, is a legendary figure in British fashion, best known for revolutionising the world of jeans. He launched Europe’s first men’s fashion design consultancy in 1964, and in the same decade became the first designer of menswear to be made a member, then a fellow of the Society of Industrial Artists and Designers (now the Chartered Society of Designers). He created the first “designer jeans” in 1970 and introduced the world’s first stretch denim jeans in 1978. These innovations transformed casual wear.
Golding’s King’s Road boutique ACE, opened in 1974, became a hotspot for rock stars and international style icons. His skin-tight designs were worn by everyone from The Rolling Stones to Freddie Mercury. By the 1990s his jeans were emblematic of rock ’n’ roll style.
His original Rock Fit jeans ticket from 1979 was emblazoned with the slogan “The Greatest Jeans on Earth.” This bold marketing epitomised his confidence in his pioneering stretch denim designs. The Rock Fit line debuted in the early 1980s and became a global bestseller, reflecting his immense influence on denim fashion.
Among the 23 donated pieces are several key garments that reflect the range of his design practice, from denim innovation to statement tailoring. These include a pair of black stretch cotton Rock Fit jeans from the 1980s features Golding’s signature curved pockets, patch backs and a leather label boldly branded “The Greatest Jeans on Earth.” Another pair is the Stage Cut stretch jeans, which retains its original hang tag declaring them “The Ultimate Stretch Jean for the 90s, from the 70s Originator.” This underscored his lasting influence.
Other highlights include washed grey-black jeans with vertical yellow pinstripe topstitching and wavy embroidery across the back pockets, black twill jeans with brace buttons at the waistband nodding to workwear traditions, and a black velvet evening jacket with a satin shawl collar and jetted pockets that showed how Golding’s rock 'n' roll sensibility translated into refined tailoring.
Peter Golding said: “I am honoured to donate these pieces from my collection to the Westminster Menswear Archive. Each garment has its own story and represents a moment in my journey as a designer during an exciting social era. I hope they inspire future generations of menswear designers and I am pleased to see them preserved in an archive dedicated to keeping fashion history alive.”
Professor Andrew Groves, Director of the WMA, added: “Peter Golding’s generous donation will greatly enrich our collection. We are thrilled to preserve these iconic garments. Golding’s designs represent a significant chapter of British menswear history. Having these pieces available for hands-on study will inspire our students and inform future fashion research for years to come.”
Collectively, the donation paints a vivid picture of Golding’s design evolution, from 1960s Peacock Revolution shirts to the stretch jeans that defined an era, alongside refined tailoring that rounded out his creativity. Each item carries historical significance, representing key moments in late twentieth-century menswear.
Learn more about the Westminster Menswear Archive.
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