Thunderbirds Art by Frank Bellamy, utilised for the Lou Dalton Thunderbirds range
Classic Thunderbirds art by Frank Bellamy from TV Century 21 comic is the inspiration for a large range of men’s fashion items from top designer Lou Dalton, on sale now.
Dig deep if you want to buy, though – the jumpers are on sale for £250 (about a third of what Bellamy was reportedly paid to draw a double page spread of the strip in 1965), t-shirts for £80 – and scarves for a trifling £120.
Trailed earlier this year, the Gerry Anderson show-inspired fashion, was in the catwalk in London June.
Lou Dalton Thunderbirds Jumper
The range was developed to celebrate the Thunderbirds 50th anniversary, with the Fashion Innivation Agency bringing Thunderbirds owners ITV and menswear darling Lou Dalton for the London Collection Men’s Autumn/Winter 2015 event, which included Thunderbirds strips and the classic Thunderbirds countdown printed onto fine Merino wool knits.
“Bringing together ITV’s iconic Thunderbirds and one of London’s most influential Menswear designers has resulted in a collection that reflects the classic history of the Thunderbirds brand in a modern and restrained way,” said the head of FIA agency, Matthew Drinkwater.
ITV Ventures licensed Lou Dalton to use the artwork from the Thunderbirds classic TV series and comics, including the Frank Bellamy-drawn double spreads originally published in the TV Century 21 comic series in the mid-1960s. The digital images used for the reproductions are licensed by arrangement with Egmont UK Ltd, from their archive of the TV Century 21 original comic artwork. All reproduction rights in the Thunderbirds characters are owned by ITC Limited, a company wholly owned by ITV plc.
Lou Dalton has established herself as a starlet of British Menswear according to the British Fashion Council, generating a fever of excitement amongst those influential to showcasing British fashion talent. This support to date has manifested itself through awards from Fashion East and the BFC NEW GEN MAN. Her show has opened every season since London Collections: Men started in June 2012.
• Check out the Lou Dalton Thunderbirds range on the designer’s official site | Find Lou Dalton on Facebook | Follow Lou Dalton on Twitter @theloudalton | Instgram
(Thanks to artist Jonathan Wyke for the lead on this item)
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The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.
He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.
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