Catherine Walker (fashion Designer)
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Catherine Walker (27 June 1945 – 23 September 2010) was a French-born
fashion designer Fashion design is the Art (skill), art of applied arts, applying design, aesthetics, clothing construction, and natural beauty to clothing and its Fashion accessory, accessories. It is influenced by diverse cultures and different trends and has va ...
based in
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
. Born Catherine Marguerite Marie-Thérèse Baheux in
Calais Calais ( , , traditionally , ) is a French port city in the Pas-de-Calais department, of which it is a subprefecture. Calais is the largest city in Pas-de-Calais. The population of the city proper is 67,544; that of the urban area is 144,6 ...
, France, Walker is known for having supplied over a thousand garments for
Diana, Princess of Wales Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997), was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William, ...
.


Life and career

Walker studied
aesthetics Aesthetics (also spelled esthetics) is the branch of philosophy concerned with the nature of beauty and taste (sociology), taste, which in a broad sense incorporates the philosophy of art.Slater, B. H.Aesthetics ''Internet Encyclopedia of Ph ...
and
philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...
at the universities of
Lille Lille (, ; ; ; ; ) is a city in the northern part of France, within French Flanders. Positioned along the Deûle river, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, the Prefectures in F ...
and
Aix-en-Provence Aix-en-Provence, or simply Aix, is a List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, city and Communes of France, commune in southern France, about north of Marseille. A former capital of Provence, it is the Subprefectures in France, s ...
and achieved a master's degree. While studying for a
PhD A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...
she moved to London and lived in Earl's Court. She became a permanent UK resident after marrying
solicitor A solicitor is a lawyer who traditionally deals with most of the legal matters in some jurisdictions. A person must have legally defined qualifications, which vary from one jurisdiction to another, to be described as a solicitor and enabled to p ...
John Walker in 1970. The couple had two daughters. In 1975 John Walker had a heart attack and died while on holiday in France. Her second husband was Said Cyrus from
Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
, a lecturer at the Chelsea School of Art who co-founded Catherine Walker Ltd with her. She began her life in fashion making and selling children’s clothes. She later moved into designing for women, specialising in high-end evening dresses, occasionwear and wedding gowns. In 1976, she and her husband Said Cyrus set up ''The Chelsea Design Company'' in Sydney Street, Chelsea. In 1991, Walker was awarded Designer of the Year for Glamour and in 1990 Designer of the Year for Couture at the British Fashion Awards. Walker was diagnosed with
breast cancer Breast cancer is a cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a Breast lump, lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, Milk-rejection sign, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipp ...
in 1995. She became a founding sponsor of Breast Cancer Haven.


Company

Catherine Walker opened her business in 1977 a small shop in Sydney Street, London. She was a successful couturiere for over 30 years. Walker designed two seasonal collections per year, as well as wedding gowns and she created a range of skincare products. Following her death, her husband Said Cyrus continued the business as head designer. He continues to run it with the same philosophy, focusing on bespoke garments for clients and eschewing runway shows, large marketing campaigns, and the wholesale trade.


Notable clients

Many European royals and high profile individuals have worn Catherine Walker because her very formal designs in a range of colours for daywear and embroidered evening wear closely match the requirements of formal events. Diana Spencer, former Princess of Wales: Catherine Walker became one of the
Princess of Wales Princess of Wales (; ) is a title used since the 14th century by the wife of the Prince of Wales. The Princess is the apparent future queen consort, as "Prince of Wales" is a title reserved by custom for the heir apparent to the Monarchy of the ...
' favourite designers. Her professional relationship with Diana began three months after Diana's marriage to
Prince Charles Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...
in 1981, and lasted until Diana's death sixteen years later, during which time Walker provided the Princess with many of her most iconic garments. Walker created the dress and lace veil which Diana wore at the
Apostolic Palace The Apostolic Palace is the official residence of the Pope, the head of the Catholic Church, located in Vatican City. It is also known as the Papal Palace, the Palace of the Vatican and the Vatican Palace. The Vatican itself refers to the build ...
during a Pontifical audience with
Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...
in 29 April 1985, the same dress Diana was buried along with a personal
Rosary The Rosary (; , in the sense of "crown of roses" or "garland of roses"), formally known as the Psalter of Jesus and Mary (Latin: Psalterium Jesu et Mariae), also known as the Dominican Rosary (as distinct from other forms of rosary such as the ...
gifted to her by Saint Teresa of Calcutta. Catherine, Princess of Wales: Walker's designs are also chosen by Diana's daughter-in-law, Catherine. Catherine Walker has become one of the current Princess of Wales favourite designers and she chooses to wear the designer’s creations for formal engagements. Prince William had a few coats made by Catherine Walker as a child. The Duke of Kent's daughter, Lady Helen Taylor (née Windsor), wore a Catherine Walker design for her 1992 wedding to Tim Taylor. Katharine, Duchess of Kent has worn many designs by Catherine Walker, including a dress to attend
William, Prince of Wales William, Prince of Wales (William Arthur Philip Louis; born 21 June 1982), is the heir apparent to the British throne. He is the elder son of King Charles III and Diana, Princess of Wales. William was born during the reign of his pat ...
’s wedding in 2011 Lady Gabriella Kingston has been wearing CW designs since her teenage years and has stayed loyal to the brand. She wore the designer's coatdress to the memorial service for Catherine Walker in 2010. She almost always wears the designer's pieces to the formal royal events, most recently the coronation of King Charles III at Westminster Abbey, London. Sophie Winkleman formally Lady Frederick Windsor, the sister-in-law of Lady Gabriella Kingston is also a fan of the Catherine Walker fashion house. She has been seen in CW outfit for many formal royal events Carole Middleton, the mother of Catherine, Princess of Wales also wore Catherine Walker for numerous public occasions. Mette-Marit, Crown Princess of Norway wore a classic Catherine Walker coatdress in red during a Nobel Peace price ceremony. Marie Chevallier - wife of Louis Robert Paul Ducruet (son of
Princess Stéphanie of Monaco Princess Stéphanie of Monaco (Stéphanie Marie Elisabeth Grimaldi; born 1 February 1965) is the youngest child of Rainier III, Prince of Monaco, and his wife, American actress Grace Kelly. She is the younger sister of Albert II, Prince of Monaco ...
and Daniel Ducruet), has chosen a Catherine Walker coatdress to attend a
Catholic Mass The Mass is the central liturgical service of the Eucharist in the Catholic Church, in which bread and wine are consecrated and become the body and blood of Christ. As defined by the Church at the Council of Trent, in the Mass "the same Christ ...
at the Monaco Cathedral during the celebrations marking Monaco's National Day in Monaco, on 19 November 2019.
Judi Dench Dame Judith Olivia Dench (born 9 December 1934) is an English actress. Widely considered one of Britain's greatest actors, she is noted for her versatility, having appeared in films and television, as well as for her numerous roles on the stage ...
has worn a bespoke Catherine Walker piece for British Vogue -Ask a legend interview in 2020. J.K. Rowling wore a Paddington coat dress to receive her insignia as a Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour in 2017.


Death

Walker died on 23 September 2010 in a hospital, after being found unconscious by a neighbour at her home in Sussex, England. She had suffered breast cancer and was a founding Sponsor of the
charity Charity may refer to: Common meanings * Charitable organization or charity, a non-profit organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being of persons * Charity (practice), the practice of being benevolent, giving and sha ...
called " Breast Cancer Haven". Catherine Walker is survived by her second husband Said Ismael Cyrus and her two daughters, Naomi and Marianne, from her first marriage.


References


External links


Catherine Walker Homepage
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Walker, Catherine 1945 births 2010 deaths British fashion designers Deaths from breast cancer in England French expatriates in the United Kingdom University of Provence alumni