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Draft entry for UK fashion designer Margaret Howell

Margaret Howell

Biography
Margaret Howell was born in Tadworth, Surrey on 5th September 1946. She attended the local De Burgh School (since demolished) whose modern design she was later to recognise as an influence on her own aesthetic. She studied Fine Art at Goldsmiths College from 1965-9, “which taught me a lot about colour and proportion”.

Howell is a contemporary British clothes designer who has worked successfully in both men’s and women’s wear. Respected by her peers, and much imitated, Howell has been a strong, if quiet, presence on the British design scene for nearly four decades. The label which bears her name was launched from a kitchen table in South East London in 1972, and was an immediate, if somewhat unexpected, success. It grew rapidly over the ten years, ran into difficulties in the 1980s but recovered, and today Margaret Howell Ltd employs some 300 people in 80 locations.

Howell describes her aesthetic as designing real world clothes. They should have “an instantly wearable feel, I want clothes to look like my drawings of them. They’re functional and designed as individual pieces rather than part of an outfit or a pre-conceived, fixed look. Every detail is considered yet the resulting style has a relaxed feel.” (Taschen)

Admirers comment on her clothes’ comfortable, understated, yet sensual qualities. Keynote designs are her take on the shirt, gymslip, lace-up shoes, duffle coat and trench coat. Many have an androgynous quality underlined by a succession of carefully controlled photographic campaigns. These are shot on location in black and white and by sympathetic spirits such as Bruce Weber, Koto Bolofo, and Venetia Scott.

“The appropriateness of the fabric to the design is crucial as is the quality of both material and make. Often I take inspiration from the traditional, specialist manufacturing, adapting the patterns to make them contemporary in cut and styling and breaking rules by softening the make-up of the clothing. The match of the fabric with garment is also key to translating the concept and character of the design.” (Taschen) From the beginning Howell has shown a preference for the natural-fibre fabrics of the British Isles (Irish linen, Harris tweed, Scottish cashmere, English cotton shirting and corduroys, West of England flannels and Worsted suiting’s), working closely with specialist manufactures such as Macintosh, John Smedley and Peter Scott.

70s: Early Career
After graduating and having been turned down for a job in the BBC make-up department, Howell started making accessories. Her hand-made beads came to the attention of Vogue and led to a meeting with Liz Taylor, then shooting ‘Zee and Co’ in London. In 1972 Howell, with partner Paul Crenshaw, began to design make and sell shirts from their flat in Blackheath, South East London. The business grew, encouraged by Paul Smith and leading US retailers, including Ralph Lauren. The couple also sold shirts through the Lower Sloane Street shop of Margaret’s sister Jean Howell, herself a designer famous for her had-knitted fairisles. Crenshaw managed while Howell expanded the design range and oversaw production from a workshop. She still thinks of herself as a ‘hands-on’ designer and values direct contact with each stage of the manufacturing process. Her work was supported by Joseph Ettedgui and recognized by Vogue fashion editors Grace Coddington and Liz Tilberis. In partnership with Joseph a Margaret Howell men’s shop, opened in South Molton Street in London in 1976. This was followed by the first wholly owned Margaret Howell shop in St Christopher Place in 1980. Reflecting international interest, Sam Sugure of Anglobal/Washo, Tokyo, signed a license to manufacture and sell Margaret Howell designs throughout Japan.

80’s
The early 1980’s were a period of expansion for the label. Jack Nicholson insisted on wearing his own Margaret Howell corduroy jacket for his role in 1980’s ‘The Shining’, prompting an order for 12 duplicates from Stanley Kubrick. 1982 saw Grace Coddington choose a Howell piece as Dress of the Year. (www.bathnes.gov.net) In 1983 the first Margaret Howell standalone shop opened in Aoyama (Tokyo). A New York shop was opened in Manhattan in 1982, attracting the attention of Andy Warhol (Interview). However, this rapid expansion caused both business and personal difficulties. The couple divorced in 1987 and Renshaw left the company. It was re-organised in 1990 with the help of Sam Sugure and Richard Craig, who remains today as Managing Director.

90’s and after
The new management proved successful and there followed a decade of steady growth culminating in the opening of the flagship Wigmore Street shop in 2002. Taking the ‘hands-on’ principle into the design of her own working environment, Howell worked closely with Will Russell of Pentagram to combine company headquarters, design studios, exhibition and retail space under one roof. A Paris shop opened in 2009. Howell’s factory in North London maintains the label’s unbroken tradition of shirt making. Influences

Howell writes: “When I was at school in the 1960’s I admired Yves Saint Laurent and bought one of his paper patterns to teach myself how to tailor a jacket. I also admired the apparent simplicity of Jean Muir designers.” (Taschen) She also cites the influence of “tough, gutsy, virile” work wear, (GQ, October 2009) as well as the bold inventiveness of street style.

Personal

From an early age I remember having an awareness of clothes and a response to those of my parents, the softness of my Father’s well-worn cotton shirts and raincoat, the slim hang of a pleated chiffon dress my Mother used for ballroom dancing. She made her children’s clothes; I loved the smell of new cotton as it was cut. I had fun making my school uniform stylish in the early 1960’s. We wore our skirts long with ankle socks. We bought men’s cardigans from Marks and Spencer. I enjoyed the androgynous character of the white shirt, the duffle coat and the double-breasted gabardine raincoat. In fact, I was styling the basic which I think is what I do new. I take classic and reinterpret it by cut, detailing and the choice of fabric to make it modern and enjoyable to wear.

Howell also uses Wigmore Street to champion designers and causes she admires. (Japan Hose Book) Anglepoise lamps, Robert Welch cutlery, and furniture by Ernest Race and Ercol complement the clothes on sale, as do occasional exhibitions featuring, among others, the work of architect John Penn and the graphic art of H A Rothholz and the 1950’s St Ives group of artists. Howell is a committed supporter of Open House – the charity which promotes access to notable buildings throughout the UK – and in association with them and the RIBA, has hosted events showcasing the architecture of Basil Spence, Erno Goldfinger, Eric Lyons (Span Houses), and the twentieth century swimming pool.

In 2006 she was asked to design uniforms for the staff of the Victoria & Albert museum and these are currently in use.

In 2007 Howell was awarded a CBE for services to the fashion industry and was made a Royal Designer for Industry by the Royal Society of Arts. She still lives in South East London and has two children: Miriam, born 1978 and Edward, 1981.

Wildsheepchase (talk) 08:24, 29 November 2009 (UTC)