Pam Hogg, the acid yellow-haired, self-taught designer that defined the British countercultural movement from the early ’80s—and kept everyone rapt with her wit and spirit for decades beyond—has died.
Her family announced the news on Instagram on Wednesday. “The Hogg Family is deeply saddened to announce the passing of our beloved Pamela. We are grateful in the knowledge that her final hours were peaceful and surrounded by the loving care of cherished friends and family,” the post reads.
Hogg’s cause of death was not revealed, but the post thanked the “staff of St. Joseph’s Hospice, Hackney for the beautiful support they provided for Pamela in her final days. 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. Pamela will continue to live in our hearts and minds.”
Tributes to Hogg quickly started to pour out across social media, with art gallerist Maureen Paley sharing that Hogg “will be remembered forever and missed by so many.”
“Pam Hogg was an eccentric, dominant London character,” added Zandra Rhodes, in a note to Vogue. “In the early 1980s, alongside the likes of BodyMap, Pam reinvented lycra catsuits and disco fashion. In more recent times, she lit up London with her fantastic fashion shows at Freemasons Hall. A prominent figure across the arts, fashion, and British music scenes. The fashion world won’t quite be as vivid or rebellious now Pam is no longer with us. She will be greatly missed.”
“Some years ago I was asked by a fashion TV channel to be their roving reviewer for a show, and I chose Pam Hogg’s show at the Freemasons Hall,” designer Bella Freud shared with Vogue. “Pam was a multi-talented, creative being—she was a top DJ, singer, and performer, but her great love was fashion and the amazingly beautiful creations she sent down the catwalk.”
“She sewed everything herself and her refined, exquisite workmanship was worthy of a couture house. Her most coveted pieces were the catsuits she made from Bowie-coloured fine latex,” adds Freud. “She showed me how she made them—and they were immaculate. She inserted lots of diamond shapes, which is notoriously hard to do, but these garments fitted like a second skin and made their wearers look like superstars from the planet Venus. Her golden head of chick yellow hair and her sunglasses at night will be dreadfully missed.”
Pam Hogg fall 2012.
Photo: Courtesy of Pam Hogg
Photo: Courtesy of Pam Hogg
Born in Paisley, near Glasgow, as a child, Hogg established her style identity as a means of survival, working hand-me-downs together into new creations. When Hogg got to England—having studied Fine Art and Printed Textiles at the Glasgow School of Art before earning a master’s degree at the Royal College of Art in London—in the late 1970s and early ’80s, she became enchanted by the audacious New Romantic movement. Bolder clothes got her through the door at the legendary Blitz club and into its petri dish of weirdo creatives, including BodyMap’s Stevie Stewart, Stephen Jones, and Leigh Bowery. Her first fashion collection, Psychedelic Jungle, launched in 1981, articulated the New Wave scene’s androgynous, acidic-acerbic aesthetic. She sold her designs at the legendary Hyper Hyper stall in Kensington Market, where she cultivated a cult following.
