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 constituent college of the University of Cambridge in England, founded in 1284 by Hugh de Balsham, Bishop of Ely. Today, Peterhouse has 254 undergraduates, 116 full-time graduate students and 54 fellows. It is quite o ...

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a public collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world's third oldest surviving university and one of its most pr ...

. 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 research university in London, United Kingdom, with campuses in South Kensington, Battersea and White City. It is the only entirely postgraduate art and design university in the United Kingdom. It o ...

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 public tertiary art school in London, England. It is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London. It offers full-time courses at foundation, undergraduate and postgraduate levels, and a variety of sho ...

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

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

. Evans showcased the ''Damaris'' collection at

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

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 womenswear and menswear showcases, London Fashi ...

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. List of award winners 2017 The 2017 edition of the Elle Style Awards took place on 13 February 2017. * Style Influencer of the Year: Debbie Harry * TV Actress of t ...

. 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. Evans oversaw both Damaris Ltd and Mimi Holliday Ltd going into administration in April 2019.

References

External links

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