Celia Birtwell

Celia Birtwell, was muse to David Hockney and her partner Ossie Clark. Celia is one of the most influential textile designers of all time. She is described as the face that launched a thousand prints. Celia studied Textile Design in Manchester, where in 1959 she met the fashion designer Ossie Clark, whom she married in 1969.Theirs was an almost perfect marriage of style, and their work together defined the era. The collaboration began with a 1966 collection for the Quorum boutique in London, which they shared with the designer Alice Pollock. It was the Clarks who began the modern catwalk show: the previous procession of modelled clothes was put to music, the London glitterati was invited, and the shows became events. Birtwell worked at home designing textiles for Clark, who would use his skill in cutting and understanding of form, together with her knowledge of fabrics and textures to produce haute couture for the emerging 60’s culture. This included work for the Rolling Stones and Beatles, Jimi Hendrix and Pink Floyd, as well as Pattie Boyd, Marianne Faithfull, Bianca Jagger, Verushka, Paloma Picasso, Talitha Getty and numerous other international celebrities.