Justin de Villeneuve

Justin de Villeneuve
Justin de Villeneuve with Twiggy (1973)
Born	Nigel John Davies Hackney, London, England
Nationality	British
Occupation(s)	Manager, businessman, photographer
Years active	ca. 1966–present
Known for	Manager to Twiggy
Spouses	Jan de Villeneuve (born Griswold) ​ ​ (divorced)​ Sue Timney ​ ​ (m. 2007; div. 2017)​
Children	2, including Poppy de Villeneuve

Justin de Villeneuve (born Nigel John Davies[1]) is a British businessman, known for being supermodel Twiggy's manager from 1966 to 1973.

De Villeneuve worked as a Mayfair hairdresser under the name Christian St. Forget,[2] before meeting Twiggy as a teenager. They became a couple, and as her career as a model took off, he became her manager and helped to make her famous.[3] Twiggy severed ties with him in 1973 and later downplayed his role in her success.[4]

De Villeneuve was married to model Jan de Villeneuve (born Janet Griswold) and has two daughters, illustrator Daisy de Villeneuve (born 5 June 1975) and photographer Poppy de Villeneuve (born 22 May 1979).

From 1975 to 1977, he co-managed (along with his partner, Bryan Morrison) the British proto-punk rock band Doctors of Madness, led by Richard Strange. In 1978, he became the manager of singer-songwriter Lynsey de Paul, during the period when she recorded her Tigers and Fireflies album, and in 1980 he also managed Clifford T. Ward, another UK singer-songwriter.[5]

De Villeneuve married designer Sue Timney at Chelsea Town Hall in 2007.[6] The marriage lasted for ten years.[7]

Early life

Nigel John Davies was born in 1939 in London's East End, within a mile of the Bow Bells. His father was a bricklayer while his mother stayed at home. During the Blitz, he stayed with JB Priestley in Herefordshire. He left school early at 15 to box under the name Tiger Davies.[8]

References

1. Ariel Leve and Robin Morgan (2013). 1963: The Year of the Revolution: How Youth Changed the World with Music, Art, and Fashion. Harper Collins. p. 42. ISBN 9780062120465.
2. Adrian Room (2010). Dictionary of Pseudonyms: 13,000 Assumed Names and Their Origins (fifth ed.). McFarland. p. 144. ISBN 9780786457632.
3. "The English Dream". Time. New York. 7 February 1972. Archived from the original on 6 September 2008. Retrieved 27 March 2007.
4. Saner, Emine (1 August 2006). "Summer of hate". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 27 March 2007.
5. An Affectionate Punch by Justin de Villeneuve, Sidgwick & Jackson Ltd, London ISBN 0-283-99346-4
6. Millard, Rosie (3 October 2012). "Interview: interior designer Sue Timney". telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
7. Maslen, Cherry (6 February 2019). "For sale: the OTT Kent home of designer Sue Timney, famed for her monochrome prints". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
8. Husband, Stuart (May 2022). "The Ballad of Justin and Twiggy". The Rake. Retrieved 29 April 2024.

External links

• Official website