At the entrance, neither a porter in costume nor high-light bulbs magnifying products lined up in cold windows, like in the luxury shops of New Bond Street, a stone's throw away. The iconic Margaret Howell store, located at number 34 Wigmore Street in London, is more like the gallery you hang out in. "I never liked the glitzy and brilliant points of sale: they always contain something sterile", blows the English designer on a sunny February morning.
From this 280 square meter long space, it has made the nerve center of its universe. Simple and elegant, bright and minimal, like his very English country wardrobe, composed of excellent basics: simple shirts, jackets or blazers in cotton twill, fine ties, large workwear pants, officer's sweaters, duffel coats …
When Margaret Howell found this place in 2002, it seemed immense to her at first. "I was nervous thinking we were going to occupy such a surface. But investing it was a good idea because we were able to put it all together: the shop, the administration and the studio, located just behind. Kind of like Andy Warhol’s Factory concept. " To design the place, she called on the beginning architect William Russell, whom she noticed in a magazine, the charming house with large windows that he imagined in the Brick Lane district.
"We really worked together, she said, insisting on the latter term. Some architects impose their points of view, not William, with whom we could circulate ideas. " They take advantage of the length of the store by removing partitions, open the canopy on the ceiling, remove the floor covering to discover an old wooden floor, paint the walls white.
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British know-how
So many unchanged elements eighteen years later, among which are scattered clues of Margaret Howell's taste. The clothes from the latest collection, of course, that hang from the metal rods and that visitors can appreciate by touch – the silkiness of a silk dress, the softness of a cashmere sweater, the rigidity of a coated parka … But also furniture and decorative or tableware objects, and, on the counter, books (on nature or architecture).
Here, 1950s furniture crosses a very simple teapot signed Ian McIntyre. Further on, desk lamps or a wooden tray are next to ceramics by Nicola Tassie. In the background, on a chest of drawers from the 1960s, a painted pottery plate, designed by John Adams. In her lair, the Englishwoman thus values the know-how of British craftsmanship but does not forget her favorites brought back from Japan, where she visits twice a year and where her refined wardrobe seduces : ceramics by Keiko Hasegawa, cooker for Kakomi rice, blown glass vases and bowls that she designed in collaboration with Studio Fresco…
In the premises of Margaret Street, not far from Wigmore Street, the brand's archives contain old photos and advertisements, as well as Margaret Howell's creations from its beginnings until the last season.
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In the premises of Margaret Street, not far from Wigmore Street, the brand's archives contain old photos and advertisements, as well as Margaret Howell's creations from its beginnings until the last season.
Max Miechowski for M Le magazine du Monde
Everything is for sale, "But people can just watch, hang around, emphasizes the septuagenarian. The staff is not there to push the purchase. They are often part-time employees who have other activities and other artistic interests: the conversations they have with visitors are more stimulating. " As for designers working in the studio, in the back room, walking past the selection of objects and furniture of the moment can inspire them – "At least, I hope so", smiles Margaret Howell.
Memories memories
These creatives who work under his supervision can sometimes go to the house archives to sharpen their drawings. For two years, they have been installed in Margaret Street, a few steps from the store. There, designers can open one of the covers that hang on hangers to extract old models, from the 1970s until the previous season.
"What matters to me in this place,
is that we can understand the continuity of
my style. »Margaret Howell
Margaret Howell also regularly comes to this annex where photos, old advertisements and press clippings are kept. The memories of past decades, since the designer celebrates in 2020 the fifty years of her label. To do this, in addition to a film visible in the Wigmore Street shop, which summarizes her journey and her precepts, she agreed to exhibit some archives there.
Pieces of fabric and personal photographs, dated advertising campaigns and vintage scarves are mixed with numerous and moving sketches, whose features suggest the sharpness of the cuts and the slight movements that the clothes make around the bodies.
“At home, matter is central to drawing a room. But the starting point can also be the discovery of a work outfit or a sportswear, an image, a photo taken from a history book … Yesterday evening again, while I was walking around the edges from the Thames, I noticed an advertisement for I don't know what nautical event. I photographed the poster with these men in duffel-coats. Inspiration can come from anywhere. "
A signature style
Renewed each season, slightly modernized, its fashion retains functional forms and natural hues. Margaret Howell doesn't need a marketing argument to claim to be eco-responsible (her pieces have been thought to last for a long time) and doesn't care about trends. She is one of those rare creators who, when they speak of "season", refer to the weather and not to the industrial rhythm of the collections to be produced. "Of course there are certain details that need to be amended as time goes by, but what matters to me in this place is that you can understand the continuity of my style", she smiles behind her black frame glasses.
On Wigmore Street, customers can see her, shy and concentrated, come and go in this shop which is also her office, a little figure in jeans, a sailor sweater and sneakers. Happy with this calm hideout in her image from which she is absent only to go and babysit her grandchildren or spend a stay in her house in Suffolk, where she likes to take sea baths.
Around 34 Wigmore Street
The Wallace Collection (Rembrandt, Rubens, Fragonard, Delacroix, Canaletto or Velásquez…) This museum brings together, in a large and imposing 18th century residence, one of the richest collections of paintings and decorative objects in the United Kingdom, with more than 5,000 works, dating from the 14th to the 19th century.
Vitsœ The modernist industrial furniture manufacturer founded in 1959 and known for its built-in armchairs and storage tables opened a new London address six months ago. Something to delight fans of its modular shelves that can be found, among others … at Margaret Howell's.
Roganic In two years, this restaurant has managed to find a place in the district, but also on social networks who love its dishes as graphic and colorful as tasty. All with a varied price range, from 40 € for the lunch formula to triple for the evening discovery menu.
