Exclusive colour. Available in our shops

This is the third in a series of collaborations between Margaret Howell and a designer practising in another field. Each year Margaret Howell invites a designer whose work she admires to produce a shirt. Previous collaborators were Kenneth Grange and Sam Hecht – both industrial design specialists. This year it is Dan Pearson, garden and landscape designer.

Provenance of material is important to Dan Pearson in his work, so Margaret thought it appropriate to source from the UK. After some research she came back to two suppliers she has worked with for many years. She chose a natural un-dyed linen shirting woven by Spence Bryson in Northern Ireland, and horn buttons made by James Grove in the West Midlands. The natural irregularities of these materials complement each other as do the textures of a garden.

A work shirt requires plenty of practical details: the Dan Pearson shirt incorporates large cuff gussets to ease rolling up sleeves, a generous inverted pleat in the back for extra movement, a useful hanging loop, and of course two large pockets for Dan’s Opinel pen knife and pencils. And when the top buttons are undone, and the collar loosened, the shirt reveals another hidden detail…. The kind of discovery Dan particularly enjoys, not only in his work but in his clothes.

The result is a workshirt – one that works as well outdoors without a tie, as it does indoors with one.

‘Even though they’re very different, what I aim for in a shirt I also see in a Dan Pearson garden – a relaxed feel that comes from inspiration, editing and deep respect for materials. It was a pleasure to work with Dan as he understands the hard, detailed preparation needed to achieve that informal spirit.’

— MARGARET HOWELL

‘It was fun…. Collaboration is always fascinating, and for landscape designers it is a process that has to be entered into with the client, the architect and with the land itself. It is a case of feeling your way and being open, and it was interesting to see how familiar it felt when designing the shirt. Much of the iteration was intuitive, responding to form and texture, colour and provenance of the materials. It was a pleasure to let Margaret and her team bring their skills to the crafting of a piece I will be delighted to wear.’

— DAN PEARSON

Margaret Howell Plus Dan Pearson shirt available in our shops and online now

Exhibition at 34 Wigmore Street, W1 until end May

A collaboration with Yoshida & Co. Ltd. Water repellent cotton canvas with parachute cotton webbing straps. This item has now sold out

The SS12 collaboration features a signature diamond garter stitch and uses the finest quality British yarns to produce a collection of hand knitted contemporary designs for women and men. Available in our shops now

Made exclusively by Edwin for Margaret Howell. Available in our shops now

This is the second in a series of collaborations with designers from other fields whose work Margaret particularly admires. This time her partner in the making of a unique shirt is Sam Hecht of Industrial Facility.

Working with Sam Hecht was easy and pleasurable. Partly because we share a similar approach to design, paring away the inessential to find the purely useful, but also because it was clear from the start Sam knew exactly what he wanted. A prolific designer of a wide range of products, his vision was for a shirt to reflect his lifestyle – busy and urban, with much of it spent on two wheels. Sam took a shirt, then took it apart. Why not, he said, turn up the tail to make back pockets?’

— Margaret Howell  2011

‘My discovery of Margaret Howell’s clothing has been a joyful surprise.

That Margaret herself has a burgeoning curiosity about the modern condition, about how we live for simple pleasures, honest materials, the kind of authenticity which people always want to come back to – is something we share and that motivates me too. It seemed reasonable to design a shirt that appears familiar but also reflects how people are moving around the city these days.’

— Sam Hecht

Industrial Facility  2011

The result is a pale blue cotton shirt, pre-washed, with minimal front detailing. The back detail is inspired by turning up the tail of a classic shirt to create a divided pocket. An extra pocket on the left sleeve can hold a travel card. This is a shirt for both cycling and wearing in the work place.

Sam Hecht and Kim Colin founded the London design office Industrial Facility in 2002. They have developed a range of projects in the areas of furniture, electronics, consumer products, fashion and interiors. Their work is in the permanent collections of museums around the world.

Industrial Facility believes that design should simplify our lives. They practice rigorous investigation and analysis to achieve this, concerned not just with the detail, make and function of an object, but also the place where it will spend its life.

A selection of products designed by Industrial Facility will also be on sale in our Wigmore Street shop

PLUS is the first of a planned series of collaborations between Margaret Howell and designers from other fields whose work she admires. In this case the designer is Kenneth Grange.

Kenneth Grange has a long and distinguished career in industrial design. A founding partner of Pentagram, the international design agency, his name is synonymous with iconic British design: the Intercity 125 train, the 1997 TX1 London taxi, Kenwood food mixer, Parker pens and the re-issue of the Anglepoise lamp. Like Margaret Howell, he was awarded a Royal Designer for Industry (RDI) by the Royal Society of Arts.

Together they have produced a unique shirt – collarless, with generous fit and minimal styling, a button fly front and a unique pocket designed specifically for pens – which combines Kenneth Grange’s practical design experience with the premium quality and make associated with Margaret Howell.

Margaret Howell launches a new collaboration with Bolton based heritage footwear company Norman Walsh for AW09

The MHL by Margaret Howell trainer is based on the Walsh PB Elite X’treme fell running shoe, which uses ultra light weight, fast drying water resistant material. Exclusive use of the material, Xymid, gives extra stability and protection to the toe, heel and instep, combining technical functionality with Margaret Howell’s paired down simplicity of design.

The trainers are available in two colour way combinations unique to Margaret Howell. The MHL logo is stitched onto the tongue with the Walsh logo embossed on the leather heel tab. A Walsh authenticity label is discretely stitched inside the shoe.

Available exclusively from Margaret Howell stores and online.

Retail price £95

New men’s jacket in navy herringbone linen fabric

Margaret Howell has collaborated with Baracuta to reissue the classic G3 jacket. Made in England, the design is based on a vintage 1960’s jacket found in the Baracuta archive. A small garment factory in Manchester, Baracuta became an international name in the 50’s and 60’s when the company’s G9 blouson jacket established an iconic status and became popularly known as the ‘Harrington’ gaining instant recognition when worn
in films starring Elvis Presley, Steve McQueen and Frank Sinatra.

‘Some pieces of clothing are always relevant. The Harrington is an example with its styling and function edited to a minimum resulting in a satisfyingly simple
and lasting design. I wore a jacket in the 60’s and still
want to wear one today’.

Margaret Howell

New design collaboration for Spring Summer 2009

Margaret Howell has produced a light weight activity jacket using
Gore-Tex fabric, working with the specialist company for the first time.

The jacket is wind resistant and 100 % waterproof with sealed zips for further weather proofing. The back is cut slightly longer than the front, a functional design detail, ideal for activities such as cycling.

The jacket is totally unbranded in line with Margaret Howell’s pared down simplicity of design. An authenticity label is discreetly stitched in the inside of the garment.

The jackets are made in Japan and are available in blue and slate grey for men and slate grey for women.  They are available to buy in Margaret Howell stores and online.