Raymond “Ossie” Clark was born on the 9th of June 1942 and lived until the 6 August 1996, and was a British fashion designer who was a major figure in the Swinging Sixties scene in London and the fashion industry in that era. Clark is now renowned for his vintage designs by present-day designers.
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Clark is compared to the 1960s fashion great Biba and influenced many other designers, including Yves Saint Laurent, Anna Sui, and Tom Ford.
Manolo Blahnik has said of Ossie Clark’s work: “He created an incredible magic with the body and achieved what fashion should do and produce desire.”
Ossie Clark and Ossie Clark for Radley clothes are highly sought after and are worn by well-known models such as Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell.
On 6 August 1996, Ossie Clark was stabbed to death in his council flat, in Kensington and Chelsea, London, by his former lover, 28-year-old Italian, Diego Cogolato.
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In March 1997, Cogolato was convicted of manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility and was subsequently jailed for six years.
Ossie Clark’s parents: Meet Anne Grace Clark & Samuel Clark
Ossie Clark was born to Anne and Samuel Clark in Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, England.
During the war, the Clark family moved to Warrington where he was given his nickname, “Ossie”. Ossie’s mother, Anne Grace Clark, was in labor with Ossie for seven days during an air raid in the Second World War.
Anne had been expecting a girl and had no name picked out for her new baby boy. She let the midwife name him Raymond. Ossie was the youngest of six children (Gladys, Kay, Beryl, Sammy, and John). Ossie and his brother John sang in the church choir at St Oswald’s Church in Winwick, where Ossie won awards for his vocal talents.
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