Muse of David Hockney and partner of Ossie Clark, Celia Birtwell is one of the most important textile designers of her generation. She has been described as the face that launched a thousand prints and her major contribution to the world of interiors and fashion was recognised in 2011, when she was awarded with a CBE.

She studied textile design at Salford School of Art in 1956 and, with Ossie, went on to be the toast of the fashion
industry and dressed everyone from the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Jimmy Hendrix, Paloma Picasso, Talitha Getty, Patty Boyd, Twiggy and Marianne Faithful all the way to the British Aristocracy.

Her distinctive bold, romantic and feminine designs have inspired collections throughout the fashion industry whilst her and Ossie’s style has been present on the catwalk across the globe for the past four decades.

Celia was always the single driving force in her business and it was in 2006, prior to the launch of the hugely successful and critically acclaimed collaboration with Top Shop, that she decided to retire from managing the
business and hand the reins over to her son and daughter in law.

Celia Birtwell designs continue to influence the high street and in 2013 collaborated with Japanese retail giant, Unilqo on a range of their best-selling collections.