When it comes to great British textile design, it's hard to beat Celia Birtwell. She made her name creating distinctive, bold designs in the swinging '60s and '70s thanks to her collaborative work with husband Ossie Clark. She was even Hockney's muse. All of this means that we're just a little bit thrilled at the news that she has teamed up with Uniqlo for a capsule clothing collection that will launch in the U.K. in March.
The collection includes dresses, T-shirts, and bags featuring prints with adorable names like Bird Song, Dilly Daydream, and Cherry Pet Spot. All the print designs borrow from Celia's own archive, but have been carefully re-scaled and re-coloured for the collaboration. Personally, we're eyeing up those awesome culottes.
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From the sneak preview, we think this Birtwell collab is up there with the sell-out range that she created for Topshop back in 2006.
Uniqlo's collaboration with Birtwell follows on from its link-ups with fellow Brit print designers Laura Ashley, Orla Kiely, and Lulu Guinness. “In our experience, British designers are popular worldwide, which has helped us,” Uniqlo's Yuki Katsuta, told WWD. “I believe that prints originated in the U.K. They are part of British tradition and history, which has a strong sensitivity toward gardens, flowers, colours, and patterns.”
Katsuta added that he believes printed textiles are no different from art: “People love it the instant they see it. So, regardless of age, and regardless of country or nationality, people know what they like when they see art.”
We definitely like what we've seen of this collection so far.
The collection is due to hit U.K. stores on 21 March.
Photo: Courtesy of Uniqlo
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