Raymond "Ossie" Clark (June 9, 1942 – August 6, 1996) was a British fashion designer who was a major player of the swinging 60s scene in London and the fashion industry in that era.
Life and Career
Born in Liverpool, England during a bombing raid, his parents moved to Oswaldtwistle during the war – hence his nickname. Showing an interest in clothes design at a young age, he enrolled at the Regional College of Art in Manchester in 1958. Here, he met his future wife Celia Birtwell and the painter David Hockney.
From 1962 to 1965 he attended the Royal College of Art and secured a first-class degree. He quickly began to make his mark in the fashion industry, with Alice Pollock's shop Quorum featuring his designs. In 1969 he married Celia Birtwell, who was a textile designer. Her patterns based on the natural world were incorporarated into Clark’s designs. By 1970 he had started to design for Radley.
However, Ossie’s relationship with Celia began to break down after he started to have affairs with other men. They divorced in 1974, and Ossie settled into a series of brief romances with male artists and socialites. This was the beginning of cruel downfall which saw him made bankcrupt, losing his house and falling into drug abuse. In 1996, he was stabbed to death by his lover, Diego Cogolato, who was later convicted of murder.
In 2003-2004 there was a major exhibition of his work at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
Impact
In the 1960s Clark hit a rich vein for his flamboyant clothing range. His many clients included rock star Mick Jagger, the model Twiggy and actresses such as Elizabeth Taylor, Faye Dunaway and Marianne Faithful. His designs were photographed by the likes of David Bailey and Guy Bourdin. Essentially, Ossie dressed the beautful people of the era.
External Links
- Victoria and Albert Museum – biography, image gallery of his works, etc.