Artist Info
English Eccentrics
English Eccentrics (named after Edith Sitwell’s book of the same title) is a British brand with a strong creative spirit, best known for their unique textile designs across clothing and accessories. Helen David (nee Littman) is a British artist who founded English Eccentrics in 1983, after graduating with an MA from St Martins School of Art. She had already completed her BA degree in fashion and textiles at Camberwell School of Art.
Emerging from the group of new designers of the mid-1980s Individual Clothes Show, English Eccentrics’ first solo runway show, Arctic, took place in 1985. During this time Helen, her sister Judy Purbeck and their friend Claire Angel collaborated on designing the collections. Helen’s future husband, Colin David, who had studied printmaking at the Royal College of Art, joined the company in 1987.
By the 1990’s English Eccentrics reached popular and critical acclaim in winning the Glamorous Evening Wear category at the British Fashion Awards in 1999.
Mick Jagger, Paul McCartney and Prince were among their celebrity clients along with Diana, Princess of Wales, and subsequently they expanded from clothing collections into stationery, furnishing fabrics and packaging. In the 1990’s they moved into ready to wear.
They have shown at London Fashion Week from 1985 to 2008 and exhibited in the British Designer Collections. Many of the designs reflect Helen’s love of innovation, printmaking and fine art with a fascinating range of floral furniture, mixed media art pieces and laser cut clothing.
In the late nineties Helen and Colin decided to focus on other artistic endeavours. Now a days, Helen and her husband, Colin, work as artists from their London studio. They both share an interest in local and global events and culture meaning that they travel widely for their research. They are also actively support in local and international causes, focused in a variety sectors, from arts and education to female human rights.
