Martin Grenville Moss,

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

, (1923–2007) was managing director of now-demolished Knightsbridge department store Woollands for twelve years, turning Knightsbridge into a fashionable shopping location. Moss was educated at Lancing College,

Sussex Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the English ...

, and served during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

as a

fighter pilot A fighter pilot is a military aviator trained to engage in air-to-air combat, air-to-ground combat and sometimes electronic warfare while in the cockpit of a fighter aircraft. Fighter pilots undergo specialized training in aerial warfare and ...

. After the war, Moss married the photographer

Jane Bown Jane Hope Bown CBE (13 March 1925 – 21 December 2014) was an English photographer who worked for ''The Observer'' newspaper from 1949. Her portraits, primarily photographed in black and white and using available light, received widespread cri ...

CBE and was promoted to managing director of Woollands in 1954. He is credited with reviving the store's fortunes. He was hailed for his achievements as "London's one-man wave of fashion" by the

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

magazine

Women's Wear Daily ''Women's Wear Daily'' (also known as ''WWD'') is a fashion-industry trade journal often referred to as the "Bible of fashion".Horyn, Cathy"Breaking Fashion News With a Provocative Edge" ''The New York Times''. (August 20, 1999). It provides infor ...

. In 1966, Moss left Woollands to work as managing director for Simpsons in Piccadilly. He spent some time as chairman and chief executive of the US May Department Stores International. In 1985 he became director of the retail wing of

the National Trust The National Trust, formally the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, is a charity and membership organisation for heritage conservation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, there is a separate and ...

. He was a member of the Design Council from 1964 to 1975 and on the council of the Royal Society of Arts from 1977 to 1994. In 1975, Moss was awarded the post of

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

for services to design and industry. He died on 17 November 2007.

References

1923 births 2007 deaths Commanders of the Order of the British Empire People educated at Lancing College Royal Air Force officers {{UK-business-bio-1920s-stub