Kenneth Malcolm John Crittle (15 December 1943 – 2 May 2000) was an Australian fashion designer and retailer, a co-founder of

Dandie Fashions Dandie Fashions or sometimes referred to as Dandy Fashions was a London fashion boutique founded in 1966. The boutique was established following a chance encounter at the Speakeasy Club between Freddie Hornik and Alan Holston. They later teamed ...

in 1966.

Early life

Kenneth Malcolm John Crittle was born in

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

, New South Wales, Australia. He was one of seven children of Charles Crittle and Sylvia Golden Crittle (née Rose). His brother, Peter Crittle, played 15 times for the Australian national rugby union team and was later a barrister. Through his mother, Crittle was a direct descendant of Thomas Rose, the English farmer who in 1793 was the first free settler to reach Australia.

Career

Crittle arrived in London from Australia in 1963 and by 1965 was working for Michael Rainey in his Chelsea boutique '' Hung On You''. The London fashion boutique

was opened in Autumn 1966, following a chance encounter at the

Speakeasy Club The Speakeasy Club, also known as The Speak, was a club situated at 48 Margaret Street, London, England, and was a popular late-night meeting place for the music industry from 1966 to June 1978. The club took its name and theme from the speakeas ...

between

Freddie Hornik Alfred Charles Walter "Freddie" Hornik (19 January 1944 – 19 February 2009) was a Czech-born British fashion entrepreneur who bought the ailing Chelsea boutique Granny Takes a Trip at 488 Kings Road in 1969, and transformed it into a leading ...

and

Alan Holston Alan Holston was a British fashion entrepreneur, one of the co-founders of Dandie Fashions, a Chelsea, London, Chelsea boutique that was a key part of Swinging London. Career In 1966, following a chance encounter at the Speakeasy Club with Freddie ...

, who then got together with Crittle and the Guinness heir Tara Browne, and launched the new business. Dandie Fashions was initially at Kensington Mews, South Kensington, but quickly relocated to 161 King's Road, Chelsea in October 1966. Crittle and Tara Browne wanted a retail outlet for their new tailoring company ''Foster and Tara''. In December 1966, Browne died in a car crash, while he was on his way to discuss shop front designs with the graphic artist David Vaughan. Crittle bought his share of the business. His clients included Princess Margaret,

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

and the Rolling Stones. In 1968, Crittle's mother Sylvia arrived from Australia, but it being too late to book into a hotel, slept on the sofa in his King's Road store. Waking in the morning and ascending the staircase, she briefly thought that she saw Jesus in a long white robe with a halo at the top of the stairs. It was actually

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential guitarists of all time. Inducted ...

in his dressing gown, and his "halo" was his expansive afro haircut backlit by the sun. According to Sylvia, he said "Hello, my name's Jimi. John told me I could sleep here tonight". Crittle returned to Australia in 1974.

Personal life

Crittle and his then-girlfriend, the model Andrea Williams had a daughter in 1969, the ballet dancer Darcey Bussell (born Marnie Mercedes Darcey Pemberton Crittle). However, Crittle and Williams split up when Bussell was very young, and he returned to Australia, leaving the family in London. In 1975, Andrea Williams married the dentist Philip Bussell. Bussell makes no mention of Crittle in her autobiography; she did not attend his funeral. Crittle also had a son and a daughter. Crittle, who had been a heavy smoker for all of his adult life, died from emphysema on 2 May 2000, and is buried in Mullumbimby cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Crittle, John 1943 births 2000 deaths Australian expatriates in the United Kingdom Australian fashion designers Designers from Sydney