Margaret Howell
Encyclopedia
Margaret Howell is a contemporary British clothes designer who has worked successfully in both men’s and women’s wear.
Howell has been a strong, if quiet, presence on the British design scene for nearly four decades. 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.
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.
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.
In 1972 Howell, with partner Paul Renshaw, 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
.
In partnership with Joseph Ettedgui, 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's Place in 1980.
The early 1980s 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.
A New York
shop opened in Manhattan
in 1982 and in 1983 the first Margaret Howell standalone shop opened in Aoyama, Tokyo
. 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.
The new management proved successful and there followed a decade of steady growth culminating in a Paris
shop opening in 2009, and then the opening of the flagship Wigmore Street shop in 2002. Today Margaret Howell Ltd employs some 300 people in 80 locations.
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.
Howell also uses Wigmore Street to champion designers and causes she admires. (Japan Hose Book) Anglepoise lamp
s, Robert Welch cutlery, and furniture by Ernest Race
and Ercol complement the clothes, as do occasional exhibitions featuring, among others, the work of architect John Penn
and the graphic art of H A Rothholz and the 1950s 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
She still lives in South East London and has two children: Miriam, born 1978 and Edward, 1981.
Howell has been a strong, if quiet, presence on the British design scene for nearly four decades. 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
Bruce Weber (photographer)
Bruce Weber is an American fashion photographer and occasional filmmaker. He is most widely known for his ad campaigns for Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Pirelli, Abercrombie & Fitch, Revlon, and Gianni Versace, as well as his work for Vogue, GQ, Vanity Fair, Elle, Life, Interview, and Rolling Stone...
, Koto Bolofo, and Venetia Scott.
Career
After graduating and having been turned down for a job in the BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
make-up department, Howell started making accessories. Her hand-made beads came to the attention of Vogue
Vogue (magazine)
Vogue is a fashion and lifestyle magazine that is published monthly in 18 national and one regional edition by Condé Nast.-History:In 1892 Arthur Turnure founded Vogue as a weekly publication in the United States. When he died in 1909, Condé Montrose Nast picked up the magazine and slowly began...
and led to a meeting with Liz Taylor, then shooting ‘Zee and Co’ in London.
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.
In 1972 Howell, with partner Paul Renshaw, began to design make and sell shirts from their flat in Blackheath
Blackheath, London
Blackheath is a district of South London, England. It is named from the large open public grassland which separates it from Greenwich to the north and Lewisham to the west...
, South East London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. The business grew, encouraged by Paul Smith
Paul Smith (fashion designer)
Sir Paul Smith jr, RDI, is an English fashion designer, whose business and reputation is founded upon his menswear. He is both commercially successful and highly respected within the fashion industry....
and leading US retailers, including Ralph Lauren
Ralph Lauren
Ralph Lauren is an American fashion designer and business executive; best known for his Polo Ralph Lauren clothing brand.-Early life:...
.
In partnership with Joseph Ettedgui, 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's Place in 1980.
The early 1980s were a period of expansion for the label. Jack Nicholson
Jack Nicholson
John Joseph "Jack" Nicholson is an American actor, film director, producer and writer. He is renowned for his often dark portrayals of neurotic characters. Nicholson has been nominated for an Academy Award twelve times, and has won the Academy Award for Best Actor twice: for One Flew Over the...
insisted on wearing his own Margaret Howell corduroy jacket for his role in 1980’s The Shining
The Shining (film)
The Shining is a 1980 psychological horror film produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick, co-written with novelist Diane Johnson, and starring Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, and Danny Lloyd. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Stephen King. A writer, Jack Torrance, takes a job as an...
, prompting an order for 12 duplicates from Stanley Kubrick. 1982 saw Grace Coddington
Grace Coddington
Grace Coddington is a former model and the creative director of American Vogue magazine.-Early life and modeling career:Coddington was born on April 14, 1941 to hotelier parents on the island of Anglesey, Wales...
choose a Howell piece as Dress of the Year.
A New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
shop opened in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
in 1982 and in 1983 the first Margaret Howell standalone shop opened in Aoyama, Tokyo
Aoyama, Tokyo
is a neighborhood of Tokyo, located in the northeastern Minato Ward. During the Edo Period, Aoyama was home to various temples, shrines, and samurai residences. The name Aoyama derived from a samurai named Aoyama Tadanari who served the Tokugawa Shogunate and held his mansion in this area...
. 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.
The new management proved successful and there followed a decade of steady growth culminating in a Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
shop opening in 2009, and then the opening of the flagship Wigmore Street shop in 2002. Today Margaret Howell Ltd employs some 300 people in 80 locations.
Personal
In 2006 Howell was asked to design uniforms for the staff of the Victoria & Albert Museum which are currently still 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.
Howell also uses Wigmore Street to champion designers and causes she admires. (Japan Hose Book) Anglepoise lamp
Anglepoise lamp
The Anglepoise lamp is a balanced-arm lamp designed in 1932 by British designer George Carwardine.-History and development:Carwardine was a car designer and was, at the time he invented the Anglepoise lamp, a freelance design consultant specialising in vehicle suspension systems...
s, Robert Welch cutlery, and furniture by Ernest Race
Ernest Race
Ernest Race was a textile and furniture designer, born in Newcastle-upon-Tyne in 1913, and died in 1964. His best-known designs are the BA3 aluminium chair of 1945 and the Antelope, designed for the Festival of Britain in 1951. The BA3 won a Gold Medal at the 10th Milan Trienale in 1954, where the...
and Ercol complement the clothes, as do occasional exhibitions featuring, among others, the work of architect John Penn
John Penn (architect)
John Penn was a British architect. He was born in Greens Norton, Northamptonshire, and died in Ipswich, Suffolk....
and the graphic art of H A Rothholz and the 1950s 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
She still lives in South East London and has two children: Miriam, born 1978 and Edward, 1981.