Time Line


1941
1941
Celia Birtwell was born in Bury, near Manchester, on January 2, 1941. Her mother, a housewife, had once worked as a seamstress. Her father was an estimating engineer, calculating how machines for textile production should be designed.

1954
Aged 13, Celia went to Salford Technical College, in Salford, Greater Manchester, where she studied textiles and pottery. A big influence on her was the artist John Piper. LS Lowry, who frequently painted Salford, also made an impression on her.

1959
Through her friend, the artist Mo McDermott, Celia met 16-year-old fledgling fashion designer Ossie Clark, her future husband and collaborator, in Manchester.

1961
Celia moved to London, putting down roots in the Notting Hill/ Ladbroke Grove area. She mixed with an arty crowd, mainly Royal College of Art students, including pop artists Pauline Boty and Derek Boshier. She worked early on as a wig-dresser for London’s Aldwych Theatre and for the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon.

1963
Celia worked at the RSC as a customier and it was here she met film costumier Anthony Powell and artist Hugh McKinnon, who encouraged her to resume her work as a textile designer. Shortly after, she designed some Op Art-inspired furnishing fabrics for Heal’s in London.

1965
Celia and Ossie moved in together in a little Notting Hill flat, more out of convenience. It was during this time their appreciation of each others creative talents sparked the exciting and ground breaking collaboration. In the same year Alice Pollock, owner of hip London boutique Quorum, commissioned Celia & Ossie to design a dress fabric collection.

1967
Celia and Ossie were commissioned to design a mail-order paper dress for Nova magazine by its legendary fashion editor Molly Parkin, which was photographed by cool snapper of the day Duffy and modelled by Jane Asher. Celia and Ossie were soon fêted as London’s dream fashion duo, dressing the era’s jetset and rock aristocracy: the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Twiggy, Mick and Bianca Jagger, Talitha Getty and Marianne Faithfull.

1969
Celia and Ossie married at Kensington Registry Office, with only his sister Kay and David Hockney as guests. Celia wore an Ossie creation with her famous Mystic Daisy print on it. Celia's first son, Albert was born.

1970
Hockney began painting his famous double portrait of Celia and Ossie, Mr and Mrs Clark and Percy (completed in 1971).

1971
Celia and Ossie’s catwalk show at London’s Royal Court Theatre – with its thunderous rock ‘n’ roll music, models gyrating in sexy, diaphanous dresses and star-studded audience – was a media sensation. Their runway shows of the late 60s/ early 70s broke with convention for being wild and exuberant. She gave birth to their second son George.

1974
Celia and Ossie divorced after what had become an increasingly unstable marriage.

1978
Celia worked as a paid model for Hockney in Los Angeles, and did so for five years.

1984
Celia started designing home fabrics, and opened her shop selling these in Westbourne Park Road. One of her first prints was Little Animals – which is still a best seller over 25 years later.

2006
Celia’s career in fashion enjoyed a spectacular renaissance with her sellout capsule collection for Top Shop. Its Oxford Street flagship store sold out of 1,000 special-edition garments in six minutes. Celia brought in her son, George and daughter-in-law, Bella to run the business. Celia is nominated for Best British Talent at the Walpole Awards.

2007
Celia designs her 3rd collection for Top Shop. as well as products for Habitat & Heals and luxury departments for Dubai firm, Luxe Interiors. She is awarded "Greatest contribution to fashion in the home' by Elle Decoration.

2008
Millets invites Celia to collaborate on a series of subtle and soothing tents and camping equipment. Celia tests the equipment personally by a weekend camping under the stars.

2009
Boots collaborates with Celia to produce a range of beauty accessories depicting the iconic Mademoiselle. Wild and Wolf develop a range of Celia Birtwell gardening products and gifts from her fashion archive.

2010
John Lewis launches a range of Celia Birtwell fashion, accessories and home products. The brand new Celia Birtwell website is launched with an on-line shop, selling vintage Ossie Clark/Celia Birtwell.

2011
Celia is named a CBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list in recognition of her services to the fashion industry.
Celia launches her first book, Celia Birtwell, a retrospective of her life
in print.
Celia Birtwell returns to exhibit furnishing fabrics at Decorex International.

2013
Celia Birtwell collaborates with Uniqlo to design a Spring/Summer collection that launches globally in March.

2015
Celia was commissioned to design some exclusive prints for Maison Valentino Prefall 2015. Celia's exclusive prints for Valentino were showcased on the runway during Paris Fashion Week in March 2015 for their AW15 collection. The show was closed with a surprise and much applauded appearance of Derek Zoolander and Hansel announcing Zoolander 2.

2016
Celia's Funky Dragon design is rolled out across Maison Valentino's Resort and Menswear collections.

2017 and beyond
Celia Birtwell enlists the brilliance of Blendworth Interiors to manufacture and distribute her classic fabrics and wallpapers. Together they are working to bring new and exciting designs to the world of interiors.