Celia Birtwell for Uniqlo

'They do need a bit of print!' says textile designer Celia Birtwell of her latest collaboration with Uniqlo, 'And it's great to do something that speaks to loads of people, that's reasonable and fun.'

In person, the 71-year-old is as lovely, warm and charming as she looks in her photograph. Birtwell's fabulous career has spanned five decades. Married to Ossie Clarke in the seventies, the pair made some of the best floaty chiffon dresses, ever. Designs loved by the rock and roll crowd, including Bianca Jagger, Marianne Faithfull and Pattie Boyd. Over the years, Birtwell continued to create bespoke prints for the home, but a collaboration with Topshop in 2006, a CBE in 2011 and a book on her life and work, last year, prove that this softly spoken northener is a fashion VIP in her own right. As a massive Celia Birtwell fan, I was absolutely delighted when Uniqlo invited me to meet one of Britain's best-loved designers.

Here's what she had to say:

TNMA: So, you create all these wonderful printed fabrics but tend to stick to neutrals yourself...

CB: 'I have a girlfiend who wears print, print, print - and I always feel a bit like an undertaker. I like to be quiet and just have bits of colour attached to me. I'm happier like that and I'm not the perfect shape or anything so I wear a lot of navy blue and black. I'm always addressing the meaner bits of me - and then I'll add patterned stockings and scarves. And I love stripes. I get a lot of my clothes from Agnés b. She's my favourite.'

TNMA: What's the secret of your longevity?

CB: 'Not getting some horrible illness and dying! No, I'm very pleased to do something that people like, to have a talent that people enjoy. I've always been able to draw, in my funny kind of way - whoever knew that kind of thing would take off?  But I doubt whether my career would've really taken off if I hadn't met Ossie, and we hadn't worked together for all that time. He was pretty brilliant, you couldn't meet a designer like that twice in your lifetime.'

TNMA:  What was it like meeting the Queen (when you received your CBE)?

CB: 'Quite special. Quite a big deal. She saw 150 people that morning, I mean she stood all the time in this little cream frock on a tiny dais and one after the other went through. It was quite an experience.'

TNMA: How do you feel about being a style icon?

CB: 'Well, it's only because of David Hockney and that bloody painting, I mean that lovely painting! I always get questions about it - and I think here we go again. Hockney's just discovered this terrible thing: Face Time. He called me the other day and his face popped up, he was laughing hysterically, like a mad fool. He loves a new toy. He's a genius on the iPad. I introduced him to the iPhone, though he'd never admit it, he had an old Nokia before and couldn't even text. But he's brilliant on that iPad, no one else in the world could do what he does.'

TNMA: Are there any other artists/designer's whose work you admire?

CB: 'I like a lot of the 1930s and 40s prints that you see around in vintage shops. I think prints are quite hard to do, in that - dare I say it? - not many people do them well. We haven't got many Raoul Duffys around. Though I quite like the Paul Smith stripe. But I don't like digital prints. They haven't got a soul, they're not as emotional. I think Grayson Perry is very clever. I like his pots, a lot, but those bloody tapestries. They're rather casually drawn - it's not good enough is it? That's a big criticism actually, but I take drawing quite seriously.'

TNMA: And what are you going to do next?

CB: 'There's all sorts of things to do: we're renovating a house at the moment, my little grandchildren are adorable, I don't travel as much as I used to, so I think I should do more of that. I have no plans to retire - I've got a few ideas about work, it keeps me busy and that's what I like.'

The Uniqlo X Celia Birtwell collection launches on 21 March at 9am online and 10am in-store. Customers can meet Celia Birtwell at an event at the flagship store (311 Oxford Street, London W1) from 6.30 - 7.30pm on the evening of Thursday 21 March.