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  • Faust
    kitsch killer
    • Sep 2006
    • 37852

    Fucking hell. I wish they'd just all shut up.

    From wwd.com

    “Paul, we love you! If you get to read this piece.”

    Such was John Galliano’s shout-out to designer Paul Harnden in a conversation with WWD earlier this week.

    Yet Harnden, a Canadian national long based in England, isn’t ready for his close-up. Reached by telephone at his shop in Brighton, a seaside town in South East England on Wednesday, Harnden would only say that he “doesn’t do any publicity. It’s a really strict rule we have.”

    Such lack of self-promotion has not stopped Harnden from building a cult following with other retailers and designers who prize his artisanal, weathered-looking shoes and clothes. And the retailers who carry his designs play strictly by his rules. Both Dover Street Market, Comme des Garçons multibrand emporium in London, and If Boutique in New York declined requests to lend out any merchandise for photography.

    Rei Kawakubo started carrying Harnden’s shoes in her Tokyo store more than 15 years ago. “We’ve always loved what he does,” said Adrian Joffe, Kawakubo’s husband and chief executive officer of Comme des Garçons International. “It’s beyond fashion, really. You wear his clothes and it’s as if you’ve always had them.

    “He does have a following, and it’s not dissimilar to our customers,” Joffe continued. “He’s got a very strong signature, and we do really well with it.”

    Similarly, If Boutique owner Jeanette Bird has carried Harnden’s work for about 10 years. “The strongest pieces are his jackets,” she said, praising his washed fabrics with heavy cotton linings. “It has a lot of style without being flashy. It’s laid back and very organic. Everything is natural…rugged looking. His shoes are especially amazing, completely handmade. His clothes attract people from the arts, people who don’t want to wear anything that looks branded.”

    Harnden designs under the label Paul Harnden Shoemakers, reflecting his start in handmade footwear. He moved from Toronto to London in 1985 intent on learning to make lasts by hand. His work, which now includes, in addition to shoes, men’s and women’s clothes, leather goods and some quite whimsical scarves, remains handmade. The look is right out of “Oliver Twist,” all distressed and artfully crumpled.

    Harnden’s marketing techniques — or lack thereof — are similarly old school. In an age when fashion labels are eager to broadcast their goings-on via Twitter and blogs, Harnden is hardly visible online. He has a bizarrely nonfunctional Web site. Most searches of his name bring up fashion forums, where his hard-core fans eagerly discuss where his pieces can be found.

    Yet Harnden was not always so elusive. In 1987, the designer, then 27, sat for an interview with Footwear News, WWD’s sister title. He compared his designs, such as an elongated Victorian style leather boot, to Giacometti sculptures.

    “He liked doing long, skinny shapes, and so do I,” Harnden commented. At the time, he said he sees making a shoe’s last as more important than a shoe’s upper. “If I experiment in design, it’s with the last, not with the upper. I’m very into dynamic shapes with a lot of tension in the last. The uppers are usually very traditional.”

    Harnden, who trained at London’s prestigious Cordwainers College before completing a year as an apprentice at the luxury British boot maker John Lobb, also said then that he used only British vegetable-tanned leather for his shoes.

    Meanwhile, character sketches of the man are scarce. A person familiar with Harnden said: “He hasn’t sold himself out, and he believes that producing exclusive, quality goods is all-important. He doesn’t talk to the press. He is a very solitary character, and he has a small staff that works full-time for him. He has a huge business in Japan.”

    Bird described him as a “warm, interesting person. He plays music with groups and is involved in making underground movies,” she said. “He’s just doing what he really likes without any pressure from the fashion world.”
    Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months - Oscar Wilde

    StyleZeitgeist Magazine

    Comment

    • lowrey
      ventiundici
      • Dec 2006
      • 8383

      haha.. these magazines are no better than the average copy-paste fashion bloggers... fucking galliano and his name dropping.

      I agree with Zamb though, I'd be surprised if PH would be to somehow blow up. his pieces have already been selling out, purchased mostly by those who actually respect his work, so potential fashionistas looking to jump on the bandwagon will have a tough time finding anything. when they don't, and there isn't any further material for magazines to exploit, maybe they'll forget about him.

      plus his style might lack the edgyness that wannabe celebrities are used to, its not loud.
      "AVANT GUARDE HIGHEST FASHION. NOW NOW this is it people, these are the brands no one fucking knows and people are like WTF. they do everything by hand in their freaking secret basement and shit."

      STYLEZEITGEIST MAGAZINE | BLOG

      Comment

      • Faust
        kitsch killer
        • Sep 2006
        • 37852

        /\ true!
        Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months - Oscar Wilde

        StyleZeitgeist Magazine

        Comment

        • SHYE_POSER
          Senior Member
          • Mar 2009
          • 1143

          I dont understand the hating on John Galliano.
          Regardless wether you like his work, he is probably one of the most naturally gifted, talented and exquisite pattern cutters in the industry.
          His skill level, would put even the great Maurizios to shame.

          I find it quite amusing that people get sooo prescious over a designer. Who is to say that Galliano does not appreciate his work? Even look at some of gallianos past collections, he has a very simillar 'dickensian' aesthetic to paul.

          Even fashionistas may appreciate his work, who is any body to judge otherwise? I feel, (especially with hoop la in the ccp thread) that a lot of us often forget that the designers do not just design and create garments for the people on this forum. In many cases they couldnt give a flying shit! Yes many of us here admire and appreciate the work of some of these designers, that does not mean that it is exclusive to us on the forum.

          In terms of bandwagoneering, it is most apparent here. For so long the thread was dormant to an extent, then a few members start talking about ph again, and bam! Every one has gone ph crazy! Its like cabin fever.

          I personally think that although PH wants to dissasociate himself from 'fashion', he cannot, because he is fashion. An his marketing, like ccp's is probably better than having ad campaigns. They create the hype themselves by refusing to be a part of it.

          Enough of my rambling, as i can never get my point across in type. much better verbally, maybe i will just record ramblings and post them.
          merz: your look has all the grace of george michael at the tail end of a coke binge.

          Comment

          • zamb
            Senior Member
            • Nov 2006
            • 5834

            I dont hate Galliano,
            but there was a time when his work was of the most sophisticated, polished and brilliant around............for the past decade or at least most of it, he has come to represent something that many members of this forum wouldn't want to be associated with.............a Maker of tacky clothing for Celebrities and shallow individuals who seem to have no depth of soul other than to see and be seen.............So while I do have a lot of respect for him because I know his history, I can easily see why many people would disregard him....

            as for Paul, he has an aesthetic that is not easily appreciated with readiness, and it does take a while to get it, and even so, only few members here can wear a full look of his and pull it of well..........Buckwheat readily comes to mind.........

            For me the most thing i love that he produces are not the clothing, but those beautiful silk scarves with prints made from really old books.
            I also dont think its marketing, the way you are presenting it, some people really do cringe, at the "Star making" next big thing, burn out in a few years approach that the industry has as its main perspective of designers................its downright reprehensible!





            Originally posted by SHYE_POSER View Post
            I dont understand the hating on John Galliano.
            Regardless wether you like his work, he is probably one of the most naturally gifted, talented and exquisite pattern cutters in the industry.
            His skill level, would put even the great Maurizios to shame.

            I find it quite amusing that people get sooo prescious over a designer. Who is to say that Galliano does not appreciate his work? Even look at some of gallianos past collections, he has a very simillar 'dickensian' aesthetic to paul.

            Even fashionistas may appreciate his work, who is any body to judge otherwise? I feel, (especially with hoop la in the ccp thread) that a lot of us often forget that the designers do not just design and create garments for the people on this forum. In many cases they couldnt give a flying shit! Yes many of us here admire and appreciate the work of some of these designers, that does not mean that it is exclusive to us on the forum.

            In terms of bandwagoneering, it is most apparent here. For so long the thread was dormant to an extent, then a few members start talking about ph again, and bam! Every one has gone ph crazy! Its like cabin fever.

            I personally think that although PH wants to dissasociate himself from 'fashion', he cannot, because he is fashion. An his marketing, like ccp's is probably better than having ad campaigns. They create the hype themselves by refusing to be a part of it.

            Enough of my rambling, as i can never get my point across in type. much better verbally, maybe i will just record ramblings and post them.
            “You know,” he says, with a resilient smile, “it is a hard world for poets.”
            .................................................. .......................


            Zam Barrett Spring 2017 Now in stock

            Comment

            • SHYE_POSER
              Senior Member
              • Mar 2009
              • 1143

              I appreciate pauls work, but its nothing new or exciting. Its good classic clothing with historical influences. I myself would never wear ph, or a lot of the cdiem/continues lines because im more concrete and tarmac, than fields and trees.
              Yes, its not he typical type of big branding and pr marketing that big houses do, but it is marketing non the less.

              Everybody is banging on about celebrities, and shallow indivuals with no soul. How the fuck does anybody know this unless you know said celebrity/actor/model/toilet cleaner in person?
              They may have more soul, love and understanding of these products than any of us.

              With John Galliano, forget what is produced by ittierre or gilmar?
              His couture collections are still outstanding, and even his mens collections, minus the obvious branding and printed tees, are very good also.
              A man with such true passion and knowledge of garments, fabrics, pattern and construction is surely able to appreciate and understand his work just as much as a kid who spends his/her life behind a
              screen waxing lyrical about how it resonates with their soul and what not.

              What im trying to say is that a lot of people get very protective and precious over designers. I do not understand the reason for this? The world does not revolve around the people of this forum.
              People design and create products, to be bought and worn. They do not pick and choose who wears their garments, and in many cases i dont think they care wether it resonates with your ________ or not.

              If he was so anti fashion, and anti industry, why does he continue to work with CDG/DSM when they are the biggest exploiters and fashion whores of all. They could be classed the same as galliano, great history, great talent, then pushing out a lot of tacky shit for the masses. There heart logo tees/polos are just one example.

              Im goinG off track, rambling and not makinG much sense.....AGAIN.
              So i shall just pipe down for now.......oh.....and....we love you paul :P
              merz: your look has all the grace of george michael at the tail end of a coke binge.

              Comment

              • Faust
                kitsch killer
                • Sep 2006
                • 37852

                Don't think people are hating Galliano here. Just wish he wouldn't blabber to WWD about Harnden ;-)

                About hype - yeah, we have our fair share of that. :-)
                Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months - Oscar Wilde

                StyleZeitgeist Magazine

                Comment

                • SHYE_POSER
                  Senior Member
                  • Mar 2009
                  • 1143

                  I know people are not hating on Johnny too much. But the readers of WWD will probably go in search for the product, look at it and think "meh, what was johnny thinking?". Where others may actually really 'get it".

                  Amongst all the psycho babble, my main point was how judgemental some people are here.
                  Automatically thinking because some one is in the public eye, they do not have a clue about these creatives, and do not understand their work or appreciate it.
                  Who is to say Ol marky mark jacobs doesnt appreciate tricky dicky, or Brad really appreciating ph or carol?


                  Everyone (secretly) likes a bit hype... :P
                  merz: your look has all the grace of george michael at the tail end of a coke binge.

                  Comment

                  • Faust
                    kitsch killer
                    • Sep 2006
                    • 37852

                    You have a point. I won't deny that I just want to buy a PH jacket in my size next season, that's all! :-)
                    Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months - Oscar Wilde

                    StyleZeitgeist Magazine

                    Comment

                    • zamb
                      Senior Member
                      • Nov 2006
                      • 5834

                      Originally posted by SHYE_POSER View Post
                      I know people are not hating on Johnny too much. But the readers of WWD will probably go in search for the product, look at it and think "meh, what was johnny thinking?". Where others may actually really 'get it".

                      Amongst all the psycho babble, my main point was how judgemental some people are here.
                      Automatically thinking because some one is in the public eye, they do not have a clue about these creatives, and do not understand their work or appreciate it.
                      Who is to say Ol marky mark jacobs doesnt appreciate tricky dicky, or Brad really appreciating ph or carol?

                      Everyone (secretly) likes a bit hype... :P
                      I know that the bolded statement is not necessarily aimed at me but I want to address it for a second...............

                      where does this nonsensical idea, that everyone seems to agree on come from?

                      the idea that it's, "oh so wrong to judge!".............first off, anyone who is pointing out that someone else is committing the wrongful act of judging, is also making a judgment, and conclusively, becomes guilty of the same wrong that he is pointing out.........I for one does not subscribe to this idea, and have no problem being judged or making judgments providing that I'm not being judged by some personal malicious standard..................

                      Also, to argue about whether Celebrities have "soul" or not is really a waste of time...................as Human beings we all have emotions, and care about some things more so than others..........
                      while there might be individuals who do care about the subtle and often important aspects of the clothing, there is no disputing that the vast majority of these individuals are only in it for the aggrandizement and cool factor, the relevance that it bring to their lives other than a genuine appreciation for the product...........
                      I wouldn't even go on any further because this isn't even up for dispute..........
                      “You know,” he says, with a resilient smile, “it is a hard world for poets.”
                      .................................................. .......................


                      Zam Barrett Spring 2017 Now in stock

                      Comment

                      • Johnny
                        Senior Member
                        • Sep 2006
                        • 1923

                        i was in full agreement with you shye until you said those horrible nasty things about cdg :(

                        i'm not clear on what zamb is saying - is it that it's ok to judge people when you know jack-shit about them? surely not?

                        Comment

                        • cjbreed
                          Senior Member
                          • Feb 2009
                          • 2712

                          Originally posted by zamb View Post
                          Also, the Galliano comment wasn't in reference to you but to cjbreed,
                          not hating. just noting the obvious that this



                          and this



                          couldn't be more opposite

                          dying and coming back gives you considerable perspective

                          Comment

                          • zamb
                            Senior Member
                            • Nov 2006
                            • 5834

                            Originally posted by Johnny View Post
                            i was in full agreement with you shye until you said those horrible nasty things about cdg :(

                            i'm not clear on what zamb is saying - is it that it's ok to judge people when you know jack-shit about them? surely not?
                            Absolutely not,........... but you can indeed judge what you know
                            and surely we can come to a conclusion about the collective state of things or a group of people, through observation and deductive reasoning.......

                            for example, we cannot say that all workers in the financial industry and irresponsible and greedy crooks, but we can make a general statement based on observation, that it was the greed and crookishness of wall street bankers that led to the collapse of the economy..............
                            “You know,” he says, with a resilient smile, “it is a hard world for poets.”
                            .................................................. .......................


                            Zam Barrett Spring 2017 Now in stock

                            Comment

                            • SHYE_POSER
                              Senior Member
                              • Mar 2009
                              • 1143

                              Sorry Johnny ! Amongst some of the great collections they produce, there is still a lot of shit is also being produced by them. ( my personal opinion ofcourse).

                              Zamb, i get what you r saying...sort of. But i think you may have missed my point entirely. Im not saying that it is wrong to judge, but judgement with out any proof/evidence is not only naive but also very ignorant.



                              while there might be individuals who do care about the subtle and often important aspects of the clothing, there is no disputing that the vast majority of these individuals are only in it for the aggrandizement and cool factor, the relevance that it bring to their lives other than a genuine appreciation for the product...........


                              This also applies to many here on the forum! That was my point about the thread remaining dormant untill a few people revived it and then the hype bus came out of the garage and started its tour.

                              Its really a case of the pot calling the kettle black.
                              merz: your look has all the grace of george michael at the tail end of a coke binge.

                              Comment

                              • zamb
                                Senior Member
                                • Nov 2006
                                • 5834

                                Originally posted by cjbreed View Post
                                not hating. jost noting the obvious that this



                                and this



                                couldn't be more opposite

                                well, thats not the sum total of Galliano, the first image of him that is forever etched in my head was from a magazine that I bought where he was wearing a hounds tooth check suit that was so damn well cut that the stripes on the jacket matched perfectly with the pants!.............and early in his Career he had put on some fashion shows of his womens wear that were so beautiful and moving that they seemed heavenly!..............
                                i think it was around 2000-2001 that he began to go to this extreme, with the occasional brilliance ever so often

                                i think it was a full view of this one

                                “You know,” he says, with a resilient smile, “it is a hard world for poets.”
                                .................................................. .......................


                                Zam Barrett Spring 2017 Now in stock

                                Comment

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