ALL ABOUT MARGARET HOWELL
By Charles Fout
There is great merit in being a creative pioneer. In fact, it’s how the canon in art, literature, music, and fashion is constructed. However, when someone beats the rest of the world to the punch, it’s usually a fluke or a one-time phenomenon. Rarely do you see a fully fleshed-out ethos arrive early, especially not by half a century.
Since 1970, Margaret Howell’s clothes have acted as a summit, creating a shadow of influence that all of today’s highly considered style brands exist in. Like many of today’s tasteful labels, Margaret Howell makes fabric-first, wearable garments that prize design over spectacle, and seasonal styles that can be worn together regardless of which collection they’re from.
Unlike other clothing designers, Margaret Howell didn’t go to fashion school. Instead she studied fine art, accumulating inspiration across design fields ranging from architecture and furniture design to sculpting, textile art, film, typography, and photography. During her time in art school, she practiced life drawing, and now possesses the ability to spot when clothes require even the most minute adjustment. She still draws her clothes before making them, aiming to keep the feeling of the drawing in the finished garment. The legacy of the Bauhaus movement is clear in the functionality of her designs. There’s also a deep appreciation for natural beauty in her work, pulling from serene landscapes, natural forms and textures, and the light and space of her coastal environment. Howell’s fascination with old photographs also stands out. The most impactful photographers in her life are family members and novices, putting them on a pedestal next to titans of photography. She seems to value style most literally in these photographs, even recreating garments spotted in her family members’ scrapbook photos. Some of the other artists she’s inspired by influence her work in more abstract ways, but her taste is undeniable.
Howell first picked up her love for the smell of cut cotton fiber in childhood, when her mother would make clothes for her. Today, Howell prizes natural fibers from heritage makers, particularly those she’s geographically tied to. These select, hardwearing, natural fabrics are the first step in imbuing Howell’s garments with the character that makes the clothes so special. Restraint is also a key feature in Howell’s designs. Every element in her garments must earn its place. Once every frivolity is removed, a garment earns a sense of permanence. The end result is wearability, not only comfort and smart design, but clothes you’ll always reach for.
One of Howell’s personal peeves is seeing people uncomfortable in their clothes. The example of a usually stylish person caught at a formal event in clothes far too rigid for them comes up often in her interviews. Howell’s relaxed tailoring and generous cuts alleviate this. With each collection, garments are revisited and tweaked to meet a wearer’s needs, ensuring the utmost satisfaction in their clothes.
Margaret Howell’s clothes come in two lines. The flagship eponymous label is where Howell’s consideration evokes elegant practicality. Design elements are poured over, and the result is thoughtful, understated, and intuitively wearable, beautiful clothes.
The MHL line uses Howell’s approach on utilitarian wear. Pulling from workwear, MHL’s clothes have a robustness made visible in the reinforcements, stitching, and style. MHL is high-quality functional design at its best.
For Margaret Howell, timeless clothing isn’t a simple motto, but something that has been proven true over the decades. The label’s heirloom-quality clothes are designed to wear in rather than wear out. Since the 1970s, Margaret Howell has used its head start to refine and rework its designs to perfection. Every hemline, button placket, collar stance, and sleeve head is exactly as it’s meant to be. Being the first clothing brand to break away from the spell of fashion’s constant churn, Margaret Howell has earned its flowers. By prizing utility, function, comfort, and intentionality, Howell’s designs are the gold standard for great clothes.