Kahn & Bell are British fashion and wardrobe designers Jane Kahn and Patti Bell, who were once described as the Vivienne Westwood and Zandra Rhodes of Birmingham.
Duran Duran connections[]
Patti Bell was asked to style Duran Duran for the band's "Planet Earth" video with a budget of £500, and chose the shirts the band wore with large ruffles that took about an hour to iron. The B-side track "Khanada" is reported to have been written for Jane Kahn, while Patti Bell became the cover girl on the album Only After Dark, which Nick Rhodes and John Taylor compiled with their favourite club music from their Rum Runner period which also features in the Duran Duran Unseen book by Paul Edmond.
Comments from Nick Rhodes[]
When we started the original line-up in 1980, the first thing we thought about was "OK, how are we going to present ourselves?" We wanted it to be something we were comfortable with. Once we started experimenting with different clothes at the time, we found Kahn & Bell. They were two girls, Jane Kahn and Patti Bell, the two most exquisite looking peacock girls in all of Birmingham. You saw them 10 streets away; they had such a huge charisma. Once we started wearing all the clothes from that period that they were making, it felt natural, and our identity developed from there. - Nick Rhodes, May 2008
Patti Bell Passes, Jan 31st 2024[]
Nick: "Patti was on the frontline where individualism, freedom of expression, charisma and style were the most valued currencies. Along with Jane, they had opened a radical and extremely influential clothing boutique in town, called Kahn and Bell. It was packed with their designs, which were flamboyant, eccentric and stunning - all of which reflected their personalities. Patti had wonderful energy and a wicked sense of humour. She was irreverent and never cared what other people thought. She transformed herself daily, never failing to surprise, looking exotic and unique. She was a lady who really knew how to make an entrance… I feel lucky to have known her as a friend and to have experienced those times when new ideas were erupting all around. Patti was an inspiration to the band and we often wore her designs - some of which are featured in our first video, Planet Earth." - Nick Feb 2024