Pam Hogg, the fashion designer who brought together fashion and music on the catwalk in the 1980s, has died aged 66, her family have said.
Hogg, whose bold, futuristic designs were worn by stars including Rihanna, Kate Moss and Blondie’s Debbie Harry, died “surrounded by the loving care of cherished friends and family”, her family posted on Instagram.
“We wish to thank all the staff of St Joseph’s hospice, Hackney for the beautiful support they provided for Pamela in her final days,” they added.
Hogg was born in Paisley, near Glasgow, and began making her clothes at the age of six. First studying painting and printed textiles at the Glasgow School of Art, she moved to London to study at the Royal College of Art. It was here, as part of the club scene, that she began designing proper: initially making notice-me outfits to guarantee her entry into Steve Strange’s Blitz club, then moving to the catwalk in 1981. By 1989, i-D magazine called her “the most consistently inventive British fashion designer (alongside Vivienne Westwood)”. Hogg, it wrote, “has been described as ‘100% party girl’ and has designed the clothes to match”. Other party girls wore her clothes: Paula Yates, Debbie Harry and Siouxsie Sioux.
She became a personality in her own right, with her shock of blond hair, quiff, red lipstick and winged eyeliner her trademark look. She appeared on the front of i-D in 1989, and on the Wogan Show in 1990 – the day after her birthday party. “I was off my head,” she told the Guardian in 2018. “I was wearing my black PVC leggings and Terry Wogan remarked that they looked uncomfortable. So my immediate reaction was: ‘Are they?’ and I sat on his lap.”
Hogg’s rock’n’roll spirit lent itself to her next move – as fashion moved to a more minimal look in the 1990s, she swapped the catwalk for the stage, as the lead singer in the band Doll. Opening for the likes of Blondie and the Raincoats, she continued to design with suitably extrovert costumes, and she retained her A-list circle. Remembering this era with the Gentlewoman magazine in 2017, Hogg described an outfit with a Ziggy Stardust flash she had made. “Last year I took it to Kate Moss’s for her Bowie-themed birthday party at her Cotswolds home,” she said. “When I got there, she immediately tore off the amazing couture dress she was wearing and put it on. That was kind of gratifying.”
Hogg came back to fashion in the 2000s, designing outfits for musicians including Rihanna, Björk and Kylie Minogue, and returning to the catwalk in 2009, showcasing tight, brightly coloured catsuits and more. “I knew that one day I would return to fashion,” she told Vogue in 2021. “I still sew every single catwalk piece myself. I make it all to fit me, except that everything is four inches longer for the models.”
Hogg remained fond of nightlife, with her trademark hair – by now lemon yellow – aviator sunglasses, teddy boy-style jackets and catsuits spotted at parties during fashion week and beyond in London for decades. She continued to show collections until recently, and designed bespoke pieces including a semi-sheer wedding dress for Lady Mary Charteris in 2012, a design that is now in the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Hogg’s last collection was in 2024, titled Of Gods and Monsters. Using recycled fabric and items found in her studio, Hogg focused the collection on issues about the environment and genocide in Gaza. “It’s an unfair and imbalanced world,” she told Keyi magazine. “There is no time like the present to correct this … please use your voice.”
This was in keeping with a personality who consistently resisted the more polite, compliant idea of a fashion designer found in mainstream culture. Speaking to the Guardian, she said: “I’m just glad not to be termed normal. Fuck normality!” This is something she will no doubt be remembered for. As her family wrote on Instagram, with the news of her death: “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.”
