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NEAT, HOMELY,
ORGANISED
AND SPACIOUS,
MARGARET
HOWELL SHOPS
ARE IMPOSSIBLE
TO GET LOST IN.
JADA BROOKES
EXPLORES
THE SHOP AT
WIGMORE STREET
AND FINDS OUT
MORE ABOUT THE
DESIGNER BEHIND
THE NAME.
T
he
Margaret
Howell shop at 34
Wigmore Street,
a stone’s throw
from London’s Bond Street,
is unlike any other fashion
shop you would expect
to find on the high street.
There are not rails of
clothes all over the place,
small aisles where you
have to play musical feet
with the person coming
toward you or young
shop assistants looking
bored or biting their nails, and
wishing they were somewhere else
more exciting. In fact, the layout
is very neat, simple, spacious and
inviting, and once you step through
the door, you will immediately
notice to your delight that it is
much more than just a clothes
shop.
On the left-hand side there are
a couple of neatly arranged rails of
clothes, one for the women and one
for the men. In the middle, there is a
display of vintage tables, chairs, leather
goods, metal and homeware such as a
teak veneer extending table made in
Denmark, vintage Ercol stalling chair
(fully restored solid English elm seat with
beech frame), vegetable tanned leather
satchels in black and conker and soft
bridle leather satchel available in small
and medium, a metal kettle, chopping
boards in beech wood available in small
or large and a beautiful white enamel butter
dish with a cherrywood lid by Japanese
designer Noda Horo.There are also artistic
exhibitions which are exclusive to Margaret
Howell, one of which was a recent display
of fine art prints by Peter Yates of British
Landscapes 1948-1958 and an accompanying
book, Ryder and Yates by Ritter Carroll.
The displays change periodically so there is
always something new every time you visit.
Margaret Howell is, of course, the
brainchild of design director Margaret
Howell who was awarded the CBE for
services to the fashion retail industry in
2007 and appointed a Royal Designer for
Industry (RDI) by the RSA in recognition
of her achievements in fashion design. After
graduating in Fine Art from Goldsmiths
College in 1969, she started making
accessories and sold them to London
shops. The discovery of a vintage men’s
shirt inspired her to make her own designs
and in 1970 she established a design studio
and workroom, from which she made
men’s shirts from start to finish. Before long
she had a loyal clientele who appreciated
the quality fabrics and attention to design
detail and, following international sales in
the US and France and encouragement
from Joseph Ettedgui (founder of the
Joseph retail empire), Margaret Howell
opened her first shop in 1977 on South
Molten Street in partnership with Joseph.
Later in 1980, Margaret launched her first
women’s collection based on the same
design principles and tailoring she applied
to her menswear. Her personal interest in
architecture and product design has recently
Margaret Howell
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