How much did Quant’s husband, Alexander Plunket Green, and her business partner Archie McNair contribute to her success, in your opinion?
She had the talent, and they had the money to subsidize her efforts. She would have had a much harder time without their financial help.
They had the business expertise and outgoing personalities and boldness. Mary seemed shy and wanted to design, and really did not know how to market her designs.
I was absolutely expecting her relationship with APG to end in disaster, so I was pleasantly surprised when it seemed he remained supportive to the end (only talking about the book here; I have no idea what happens in real life or if it ultimately went wrong). And I think the fact that they kept encouraging her to allow folks to help her with the hands-on stuff so she could focus on the creative side was great. She clearly had a brilliant fashion mind, and I think it was great that they gave her to freedom to explore it. I do wish they had helped her a bit with her anxiety, but of course it was a different time back then, so this was probably pretty realistic with how someone with anxiety would have been treated.
A great deal! I don’t think Mary would have succeeded without both the financial backing and the emotional support they provided. APG was a diamond in the rough for Mary. I do think she appreciated him and the fact that he allowed her to design and remain in the background for the most part. I was happy they stayed together through the end of the novel.
As the others have previously answered, Mary had the talent to create the designs and with her exceptional sewing knowledge. Alexander Plunket Green’(APG) provided the financial support, and his outrageous flares encouraged Mary. Archie was a solicitor and property manager with the business experience. Archie and ( APG) were friends and provided the backbone that encouraged Mary to fulfill her ambitions.
I agree with what others have said. Mary had wonderful creative fashion sense. Alexander and Archie provided the support she needed. Otherwise, I think she would have struggled more to be such a huge success.
Mary was very creative and knew how to design clothes that appealed to the younger generations. She was shy and didn’t want to deal with the promotional aspects and interviews. Archie came up with the idea for her shop and was very good at business. Her husband charmed everyone he met and was great at promoting her fashion. Archie and Alexander had the money.
I think tremendously. She had the talent, but he had the money and the contacts to make a go of it. He also had the charm needed to make it happen.
I think Archie contributed quite a lot to MQ’s success. He was the one keeping MQ and APG from running the company into bankrupcy and also providing a sane voice when APG and MQ went off the rails with “wild’ or impractical ideas.
I believe Mary was extremely talented but she definitely needed Alexander and Archie with the business side of things. It helped that they were supportive of Mary and encouraged her. Plus they had the money.
Their money and contacts launched her designs. Could she have made it without that - doubtful.
To be successful in fashion you must be creative but also have financial support and business smarts. I doubt Mary would have had the career she did without these two mentors and supporters. It seemed to me that she wanted to stay in the background and work on the designs, and they let her do that while they took care of the other needs. How nice to read about a successful partnership.
Mary had the fashion talent and ideas to keep her creations fresh and exciting APG had the connections to make sure her fashions got proper introduction to the world and Archie McNair had the financial capital and the wise counsel to bring it all together.
Mary was definitely the creative partner in this group. APG and Archie had business sense to push her line forward. The group formed a formidable force to make change in the fashion industry.
Good to hear another reader was expecting Mary’s marriage would end in a disaster. I was also surprised that he folded and consented to having a child. He had been so adamant about no children. Perhaps it is better said, he was so aware of her talent, he really knew he had someone special with talents to be explored and he needed to make it work.
APG and Archie McNair had the finances and the business acumen to ensure the success of Quant’s vision. Without them, she would have had a nice successful shop in Chelsea and that is where her vision would have remained. With them, she became an international phenomenon and powerhouse!
mary had to rely on her business partners to succeed. She knew nothing about the financial part of business, and it didn’t seem like she was all that interested in learning. I think creative people need to find someone they can really trust to take care of the financial end of things. They gave her great advice. The fact that she retained control over the design side was hard enough for a woman. Together, they were a success
Money is always beneficial when starting a new career, no matter how innovative you are. They also had the contacts and those people were the ones who supported her shop and wanted to wear her designs. So yes, they were very important to her initial success.