Celia Birtwell, CBE (born 1941), is a British textile designer and fashion designer, known for her distinctive bold, romantic and feminine designs, which are influenced by Picasso and Matisse, and the classical world. She was well known for her prints which epitomised the 1960s/70s. Until the arrival of Vivienne Westwood, Birtwell's textile designs dominated the London fashion industry.

After a period away from the limelight, she returned to fashion in the early 21st century.

Career

thumb|right|The Peel Building, [[University of Salford, formerly the Royal Technical College, Salford]]

The eldest of three children, all daughters, born to a culture-loving engineer and a seamstress, Birtwell was born in Bury and raised in Prestwich, both then in Lancashire. From the age of 13 she studied textile design at the Royal Technical College, Salford. In 1959 she met the fashion designer Ossie Clark in the Cona Coffee Bar in Manchester, and they married in 1969 after being reintroduced when they both studied in London.

Family

Celia and Ossie had two children together, Albert (born 1969) and George (born 1971), but their private relationship deteriorated and they divorced in 1974. She appears in the 1974 Hockney biopic, A Bigger Splash, and the 1978 BBC documentary Seeing Through Drawing produced by Mike Dibb.

Interiors and furnishing fabric

After the break-up of her marriage, Birtwell continued in fashion, designing for the Radley label for a time, until in 1984 she set up a shop on Westbourne Park Road in Bayswater, selling fabrics for the home. Again she built up a reputation for innovative and witty design. Her first success came with her own take on a 16th-century animal print she called 'Animal Solo', followed later by the first, and much copied, white on white voile and muslin fabrics. These fabrics are now to be seen in many homes, hotels and public spaces, including Claridge's and The Lanesborough hotels in London, The Grand Hotel, Leeds, and the Dubai Hilton. In 2005, it was announced that she would design clothing for the high street chain Topshop, beginning with Spring/Summer 2006. The four collections were a sell-out success.

Her book Celia Birtwell, written with Dominic Lutyens, featuring photographs, fashion sketches and memoir, was published by Quadrille in 2011. 250 limited edition fabric covered box sets which included a signed copy of her book, and an exclusive silk scarf, were also produced.

Birtwell was the castaway on Desert Island Discs on BBC Radio 4 on Sunday 7 October 2012.

Honours

She was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2011 Birthday Honours.

References

  • How we get dressed, the Guardian
  • BBC British Style Genius series, Style Icon
  • Celia Birtwell 2006 collection
  • Boys, men, women – my life with Ossie, 1996 Interview