A to Z of GREAT SCOTS

From working-class beginnings to creative revolution, stylist Ray Petri rewrote the future of fashion

- by LAURA BROWN

HE was, many claim, the first true stylist. In the 1980s, Ray Petri turned the pages of magazines such as i-D, The Face and Arena into a canvas for his creativity and inherent cool.

Born Raymond Petrie in 1948 in Dundee, he spent his formative years in the city before his family emigrated to Brisbane when he was 15.

He didn't stay Down Under for long, and in 1969, he moved to London. There, he sold jewellery at Camden Passage Market, swotted up on art history and antiques at classes at Sotheby's and developed an interest in photography.

Along the way, he dropped the “e” from his surname, and as Ray Petri he discovered that his passion - and immense talent - lay in styling shoots.