Damaris Alice Turle Evans (born 18 March 1975) is a British fashion designer who founded the lingerie brands ''Damaris'' and ''Mimi Holliday''.

Background

Evans' father was James Martin Evans (born 1933), a writer who graduated from

Peterhouse Peterhouse is the oldest Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge in England, founded in 1284 by Hugh de Balsham, Bishop of Ely. Peterhouse has around 300 undergraduate and 175 graduate stud ...

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

. Her mother was Frances Rachel Evans (Holiday) (born 1939), an artist and the granddaughter of Sir William Rothenstein. Evans has three sisters. Evans' great grandfather Sir William Rothenstein was Principal of the

Royal College of Art The Royal College of Art (RCA) is a public university, public research university in London, United Kingdom, with campuses in South Kensington, Battersea and White City, London, White City. It is the only entirely postgraduate art and design uni ...

from 1920 to 1935. Rothenstein's family were all involved in the arts, one brother being the painter

Albert Rutherston Albert Daniel Rutherston (5 December 1881 – 14 July 1953) was a British artist. He painted figures and landscape, illustrated books and designed posters and stage sets. Personal life and education Albert Daniel Rothenstein born 5 December 18 ...

and siblings Charles Rutherston and Emily Hesslein both art collectors. Evans' great grandmother was the actress Lady Alice Mary Rothenstein, daughter of the Pre-Raphaelite artist Walter John Knewstub and the Pre-Raphaelite muse Emily Renshaw. Evan's maternal grandmother, Betty Holiday, studied at the

and was a sculptor. Betty Holiday was a contemporary of Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth. Betty's father, Sir William Rothenstein was Henry Moores mentor at the Royal College of Art.

Career

Evans studied Fashion Design with Print Making at

Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design Central Saint Martins is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London, a public art university in London, England. The college offers full-time courses at foundation, undergraduate and postgraduate levels, and a variety of short ...

. In 2001, she started her business with a £5,000 loan from

The Prince's Trust The King's Trust (formerly the Prince's Trust) is a United Kingdom-based charity founded in 1976 by Charles III, King Charles III (then Prince of Wales) to help vulnerable young people get their lives on track. It supports 11-to-30-year-olds w ...

. Evans showcased the ''Damaris'' collection at

London Fashion Week London Fashion Week (LFW) is a clothing trade show that takes place in London, England, twice a year, in June and September. Showcasing over 250 designers to a global audience of influential media and retailers, it is one of the 'Big Four' fash ...

September 2001 and was sponsored by

. The collection was showcased at

's ''New Generation'', sponsored by the

British Fashion Council The British Fashion Council (BFC) is a non-profit organization that aims to enable sustainable growth of British fashion in the global fashion economy. Founded in 1983, the BFC organizes biannual Women's wear and Men's wear showcases, London F ...

in September 2003 and February 2004. It received the 'Young Enterprise of the Year' award for the Spring/Summer 2003 collection at

Elle Style Awards The Elle Style Awards are an awards ceremony hosted annually by ''Elle'' magazine. 2017 was the last year that they took place in the United Kingdom. List of award winners 2017 The 2017 edition of the Elle Style Awards took place on 13 February 2 ...

. In 2005 Evans was invited to Buckingham Palace to meet the Queen for a Celebration of British Design. The diffusion line ''Mimi Holliday'' was then founded in 2004 which went on to introduce ''Mimi Holliday Beachwear'' in 2008.

References

External links

Company website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Evans, Damaris 1975 births British fashion designers Alumni of Central Saint Martins Living people