Ian & Marcel

Brand of ready-to-wear. Both Canadians, Ian H. Cooper (1946-1992) and Marcel B. Aucoin (1951-1991) met in Toronto in 1976. The former studied fashion design at the Ryerson Polytechnic Institute, and the latter studied furniture and fabric design at the Sheridan School of Design in Canada. They moved to London where Ian graduated with a Masters in fashion at St. Martin’s School of Art. In 1979 they established their own company, creating Fortuny-style evening dresses in pleated silk, and developing liquid latex and silk-based technique, which allowed them to decorate fabrics as well as welding them without the use of seams.