The Ritva Man

In 1966, Ritva and Mike began to make garments which used a limited number of styles but could be personalised with colours and patterns. The business took off and before long the labels was popular with film-makers, musicians and artists. 

Mike, in 1969, started a new label, The Ritva Man, and in 1971 he collaborated with artists to create Limited Edition jumpers which were snapped up by the glitterati of the day. The jumpers were designed by David Hockney, Allen Jones, Elizabeth Frink and Patrick Hughes, and the pieces were sold for £40. A perspex box for displaying the jumper when it was not in use was also available so that the jumpers could be shown as works of art. 

This week we have added a jumper designed by Elizabeth Frink to the collection in the studio. The motif on the jumper, once owned by none other than actress Britt Ekland, is an eagle, embroidered in gold, and it was bought at Christies, the auction house, in 1996. You can see what it looks like here in the Victoria and Albert Museum's collection, and you can read more about The Ritva Man here.  The picture on this page comes from a newspaper and shows Julie Christie wearing the jumper back in the day.  What a fantastic piece of history to own!