Celebration of Ossie Clark's Impact on the Fashion World Leads Trio of New Exhibitions at Warrington Museum

An exploration of the life and influence of a renowned fashion designer leads a trio of new exhibitions at Warrington Museum and Art Gallery.

'Ossie Clark x Little Nell' has opened in the museum's Cabinet of Curiosities gallery and will run until 26 March.

The youngest of six children, Raymond 'Ossie' Clark grew up in Warrington and went on to become a major figure in the fashion scene towards the end of the 'Swinging Sixties'.

Ossie's influence was particularly felt in the 1970s and his highly sought after vintage designs are now collector's items and have been worn by the likes of Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell.

Even now, Ossie's work continues to inspire present-day designers and that is the jumping off point for this new exhibition in collaboration with Stockton Heath studio, Little Nell.

Little Nell is run by Sophie New who graduated from the Royal College of Art in 2016 and has since focused on sustainable fashion and 'wearable art'.

So the new display will give visitors a rare chance to see a selection of Ossie's works alongside new work by Sophie created in response to that.

Sophie said: "I feel extremely privileged to have been invited to exhibit alongside and respond to the beautiful work of Ossie Clark.

"I have thoroughly enjoyed throwing myself into research and reworking garments for this exhibition and feel as though I have successfully walked the tightrope between honouring the 'King of King's Road' and bringing my brand style to the pieces.

"I'd love to see more Warrington creatives responding the existing collections in the museum."

Warrington Museum was the first to hold a retrospective of Ossie's work anywhere in the world in 1999. It was followed by an exhibition at the V&A three years later.

Ossie Clark x Little Nell has launched alongside two other new exhibitions - Jasmir Creed's Utopolis and the No. 7 Studio Showcase.

Jasmir explores identity, cultural barriers and urban environments through her oil paintings. It is part of a wider reflection on her own life as a British artist with South Asian roots. Utopolis runs until 30 July.

The group exhibition, No. 7 Studio Showcase, is available to view until 21 May and draws together the work of the current studio artists there - Frances Broomfield, Cameron Brown, Matthew Child, Marie Jones, Robert Watson and Joshua Yates.

No. 7 was launched in 2019 to create a new affordable studio space that would support and nurture artistic talent in the area.

Roger Jeffery, Producer at Warrington Museum and Art Gallery, added: "It's a pleasure to bring such an exciting and diverse range of work to the museum all at once.

"Collaborating with talented people in Warrington and the north west is what continues to motivate us and ensures we always have a fresh offer within our historic and well-loved building."

All the exhibitions are free to view. For more information visit https://wmag.culturewarrington.org/whats-on/

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