The first fruits of our collaboration with leading streetwear brand 1 Of 100 are available now with a new range of T-shirts, sweatshirts and totes paying tribute to Barney Bubbles’ countercultural heritage.
Featuring the pop art hamburger motif for Barney’s Teenburger Studios, launched in alternative London’s then-beating heart of Notting Hill in the late 60s, the reverse of the designs feature the address the master typographer placed on his headed paper: 307 Portobello Road W10 with the old-school phone number 01 969 7683,
Barney occupied the premises on returning from a trip to San Francisco’s Summer of Love central Haight Ashbury, where he hung with musicians such as Janis Joplin and graphic heroes Alton Kelley and Stanley Mouse all the while operating light shows for Moby Grape at the Fillmore West and Pink Floyd at the Avalon Ballroom.
Struck by the community aspects of the West Coast scene, on his return Barney built his own creative commune within the three-storey building at 307 Portobello Road.
The live-work space was shared with friends, among them his girlfriend Giana Cioffi, her friend Donna, painter Colin Ramsay Elder and ‘Record John’ Cowell (step-brother of the X-Factor’s Simon, as well as musicians, drifters and draft dodgers.
The visitors included Dr Sam Hutt (later to benefit from Barney designs in his C&W star persona Hank Wangford) and Australians Phil ‘Shiva Shankar’ Jones and Ron ‘Raja Ram’ Rothfield, whose band Quintessence rehearsed in the basement.
Quintessence’s 1969 album In Blissful Company was the first record sleeve to feature Barney designs and Teenburger – Barney and his assistant John Muggeridge – was soon to be credited with designs for the eponymous debuts released in 1970 by country-rockers Brinsley Schwarz, blues merchants Red Dirt and the prog outfits Gracious! and Cressida.
Barney and Teenburger only lasted about 18 months at 307 but his occupancy sparked associations with Hawkwind and underground magazine Friends, setting him on the path to becoming one of the greatest graphic designers of all time.
The Barney Bubbles Estate’s first range with We Are 1 of 100 seeks to summon the boundless creativity of those heady times.
All designs are handprinted by 1 Of 100 in Glasgow featuring Barney’s distinctive copyright signature and are available to order here.
Leave a Reply