The London fashion label Ossie Clark, which became hugely popular during the 1960s, is set to close just one year after it was relaunched, it was announced today.
A company spokesperson said in a statement, "Due to market conditions, developing the business has been challenging and the decision has been made to cease trading."
Brothers Julian and Marc Worth, the founder of fashion industry website WGSN, relaunched the business under an exclusive licensing deal with manufacturer Alfred Radley at London Fashion Week in February 2008, hoping to turn it into a global designer brand. But the subsequent collections, designed under the creative directorship of Avsh Alom Gur, received mixed reviews and Gur quit the company after designing the autumn/winter 2009 range to concentrate on his signature line.
The Ossie Clark label became famous during the Swinging Sixties in London and then continued to enjoy huge popularity into the mid-'70s. The brand is known for its floaty style, romantic prints and architectural tailoring - which became synonymous with '60s and ‘70s style.
Ossie Clark, who was murdered in 1996, often used prints designed by his then wife, illustrator and textile designer Celia Birtwell. The couple divorced in 1974.
The label continues to be popular among celebrities including Kate Moss and actress Emma Watson, who wore a vintage Ossie Clark dress to the recent London premiere of Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince.
Picture: Emma Watson in vintage Ossie Clark at the London premiere of Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince.
