Message: A Letter from Margaret Howell

New Dress Code by MARGARET HOWELL

Message from Margaret Howell

“I make clothes for people who want to look ‘right’ in their own time,” Margaret’s words resonate warmly with us. We are exclusively publishing her “Letter from Margaret Howell” from London.

A Fundamental Approach to Menswear

In the 1970s, I felt that coats, jackets, and trousers, all tailored for men, were also suitable for women. I preferred wearing shirts to blouses. Shoes with flat soles and jeans could be worn more practically than skirts or dresses. The functionality of menswear is better suited to an active, working lifestyle, but I was also captivated by the construction of menswear, both inside and out. Tailoring, shirts, ties – all made using traditional methods.

I began to seek out factories with specialist skills and enjoyed working with them, harnessing their expertise. Making things is a significant part of design. The other part, of course, is the concept. The concept stimulates the design, gives it a reason for being, and also its individuality.

My criteria for designing menswear (or womenswear) apply equally to other product designs: is it appropriate in terms of material, function, and feel? However, my form of expression probably reflects my personal values.

These may be expressed through considered, edited methods, where quality is more important than quantity, and more important than being ‘chic’. It’s about a relaxed attitude to the feel and character of fabrics, for example, feeling the slubs and creases in fine cotton or linen, or appreciating the qualities of traditional weaves like Harris Tweed or worsted suiting.

These are fundamental, in addition to colour, comfort, and an intuitive sense of what is appropriate to wear now. The people I design for are not looking for clothes that will appear dated after one or two seasons; they are looking for clothes that look ‘right’ in a contemporary sense.

The Meaning of 'Shirt'

Early in my career, I found vintage shirts. I was impressed by their perfect construction and the quality of the cotton fabric. I felt compelled to search for shirts throughout Britain and to provide skilled machinists with a workspace to produce my own shirt designs to the same quality standards as vintage ones. Today, shirts are a well-established item in the menswear collection.

MARGARET HOWELL Brand History

1969
Graduated from Goldsmiths College, London, and began designing and making accessories.
1970
Launched menswear shirts. Gained attention through features in publications like 'Vogue UK'.
1977
Opened first menswear shop on South Molton Street. A concession space also opened in Paris.
Nominated for Designer of the Year; outerwear was exhibited in the costume department of the Costume Museum and the Victoria & Albert Museum.
1991
Had 80 wholesale accounts in the UK, Japan, USA, France, Germany, and the Netherlands.
1992
Opened a second directly managed store in London on Brook Street. Subsequently opened concessions in Liberty, Harvey Nichols, Richmond, and Stratford in the UK, and reopened a concession at Le Bon Marché in Paris.
1995
First participation in London Fashion Week.
1998
Opened a menswear shop on Savile Row, the first for a female designer. Also began handling household goods.
1999
Opened a Selfridges store. Opened the first lifestyle shop in Shibuya, Tokyo.
2002
Opened a flagship store on Wigmore Street, London.
2005
Began charitable support for OPEN HOUSE (an exhibition of architecture held in London).
2006
Opened a second London street-level store on Fulham Road.
2007
Received an OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) from the British Royal Family in recognition of her long-standing contributions to the British fashion industry.
2008
Selected as a Royal Designer for Industry (RDI), the highest honor in British design, by the Royal Society of Arts.
2009
Scheduled to open the first street-level store in Paris, France.

Anglobal Tel. 03-5467-7874
http://www.margarethowell.jp/