’The Ritva Man’ cotton sweater, circa 1970, with printed satin Ritva Man label, with embroidered and appliqued panel of a man with wings, chest approx 117cm, 46in



Finnish-born Ritva and her husband, American-born Mike Ross, were part of the vibrant art, fashion and music scene of ’60s and ’70s London and they produced some of the most innovative knitwear of the period. After leaving the USA, Mike attended a non-diploma course at the RCA in 1963-4, while Ritva studied at the London School of Printing. She later became a model, and worked at Jane & Jane, where Jean Muir was the designer. Ritva started her self-named company with Mike Ross in 1966, wholesaling to boutiques such as Annacat, Browns, and Countdown on the Kings Road. In 1969 they created the ’Ritva Man’ label - their aim was to turn fashion into wearable art. They collaborated with contemporary artists such as Allen Jones, David Hockney, Patrick Hughes and Elisabeth Frink to produce limited edition sweaters. This sweater however bears just the Ritva label rather than a limited artist edition label.