Ossie Clark to relaunch in Debenhams

Designer fashion label Ossie Clarke London, which was renowned in the sixties and seventies, will be relaunched for spring/summer 2013 into department store Debenhams. The re-envisaged brand will be available across 45

Debenhams stores nationwide and online from February next year and will feature brand new pieces inspired by the designer Ossie Clark, as well as a limited run of unreleased vintage designs, re-mastered for 2013.

The creative direction of the new line will be overseen by Nicholas Georgiou, a graduate of Saint Martins College of Art, who has been appointed by Alison Mansell Ltd, who own the Ossie Clark label.

Commenting on taking on the Ossie Clark name, Georgiou, said: “Ossie Clark was one of the most influential and talented designers, not just in the UK but worldwide. Ossie Clark London looks to the present and beyond, benefiting from modern materials and new printing techniques but still retaining the flavour of Ossie's original designs.”

This isn’t the first relaunch that the Ossie Clark label has seen, in 2008, Marc Worth, founder of trend forecasting site WGSN, bought the name and re-launched the label at London Fashion Week with Avsh Alom Gur as head of design, however the label closed a year later after receiving criticism for not staying true to the heritage of the brand.

Clark, who was murdered in 1996, was known for his daring and panache with which he mixed and matched prints and fabrics, and his romantic floor-sweeping gowns were worn by the likes of Bianca Jagger, Twiggy and Elizabeth Taylor.

Highlights from the spring/summer 2013 collection include a halterneck maxi dress in a ‘flame print’, slim, tapered trousers with 'shatter print' side-panels, a cropped snake-biker jacket, as well as the iconic Ossie Clark flowing black maxi dress with capped sleeves and a plunging neckline.

Retail prices for the collection will range from 49 to 189 Pounds and will be sold within ‘shop-in-shop’ concessions within Debenhams from February 2013.

Images: Ossie Clark London SS13