Zandra Rhodes was born in Chatham, Kent, UK in 1940 and was introduced to the world of fashion by her mother, a fitter for the Paris fashion house of Worth and later a lecturer at Medway College of Art. Zandra studied at Medway and then at The Royal College of Art in London. Her major area of study was printed textile design.

Her early textile designs were considered too outrageous by the traditional British manufacturers. Undaunted she decided to make dresses from her own fabrics so learnt how to cut patterns herself. In 1967 she then established her own retail outlet in the not yet fashionable Fulham Road in London with Sylvia Ayton. In 1969 she set up on her own and took her collection to New York where she was featured in American Vogue then started selling to American shops such as Henri Bendel and Neiman Marcus and was given her own area in Fortnum and Mason, London. The venture paid off because by 1972 she received the Designer of the Year Award from the English Fashion Trade and in 1974 was made Royal Designer for Industry. The rich, famous and fashionable, wore her clothes. In 1975 she founded her own shop off Bond Street in London.

Zandra's own lifestyle has proved to be as dramatic, glamorous and extrovert as her designs. With her bright green hair (later changing to purple then orange and now pink) theatrical make-up, and art jewellery, she has stamped her identity on the international world of fashion. She was one of the New Wave of British Designers who put London at the forefront of the international Fashion Scene in the 70's.

Zandra has designed for clients as diverse as Diana, Princess of Wales, Jackie Onassis and Elizabeth Taylor to Freddie Mercury of the rock group 'Queen'. She continues to clothe and design for royalty, famous stars around the world, from Debbie Harry and Bianca Jagger to Katie Grand and Isabella Blow, and recently Princess Michael of Kent, Joan Rivers, Kylie Minogue, and Anastasia. Zandra's dresses are the ultimate dress-up dress. Helen Mirren, amazing star of "Calendar Girls" and "Madness of King George" wore a Zandra recently when she received her award from BAFTA in Beverly Hills and Sarah Jessica Parker dressed up in a Zandra in "Sex and the City". Her vintage pieces have long been collected by Tom Ford and Anna Sui and have been the subject of articles in the New York Times and have also been seen on Kelly Osborne and Ashley Olsen (one of the Olsen twins).

She was made a Commander of the British Empire in 1997 in recognition of her contribution to fashion and textiles and has eight honorary doctorates including the University of Westminster, London Metropolitan University and her own college, The Royal College of Art. Since 1998 she has created an exclusive collection for Liberty of London and now also sells from her exclusive salon in Bermondsey Street above the Fashion & Textile Museum which she founded. She sells to other fashionable stores in London including Joseph and Selfridges and all over Europe as far apart as Milan, Madrid and Moscow. Zandra sells in the USA to numerous boutiques and stores such as: Barneys and Bendels.

People who wear Zandra Rhodes know her work does not just stop with dresses, it encompasses various exciting licences. These include Zandra Rhodes Jewellery, a range of Zandra Rhodes wrapping paper and a full range of porcelain for Royal Doulton who have made Zandra Rhodes 'The face of Royal Albert' to represent them worldwide with their products.

Recently she designed the costumes for Mozart's 'The Magic Flute' and the sets and costumes for 'The Pearl Fishers' for San Diego Opera in her own inimitable style. This opera is now being performed in New York and San Francisco Operas.

The past five years have seen her setting up London's FASHION & TEXTILE MUSUM dedicated to showing the work of fashion and textile designers working from the 1950's onwards. May 2003 Zandra's dream became a reality when Princess Michael of Kent opened The Fashion & Textile Museum in Bermondsey Street, London. Currently the Fashion and Textile Museum has an important retrospective of Rhodes work: ZANDRA RHODES: "A LIFELONG LOVE AFFAIR WITH TEXTILES." A book has been printed to celebrate this exhibition. This book clearly explains her design process and is a great addition to her earlier book "THE ART OF ZANDRA RHODES" which is now in its second print run and has become a cult book to Textile designers.