Paul Harnden

[christianef]

funny story. i have the same reaction to his contrast button tabs and peaked lapels. what are you doing here. get lost.

[MikeN]

Oh there's more!

The Mysterious Designer John Galliano Loves

Who is Paul Harnden, other than a designer John Galliano wears and loves? "He's an English boy ... he's very Greta Garbo," Galliano told Bridget Foley in WWD yesterday. "He does that rough kind of tweed and stuff. I buy all my stuff from him. I can't get a hold of him. I believe he lives in England by the sea."

It's no small thing to be unfindable these days, but Harnden, who was born in Canada, lives in England and, according to one The Cut tweeter, has been designing for 25 years and is pretty willfully obscure. His company, Paul Harnden Shoemakers Ltd., sells to a tiny, elite, culty group of stores — Dover Street Market in London, Envoy of Belfast in Ireland, If in Soho, L'Eclaireur in Paris. His aesthetic is very wrinkly, fantastically well-made clothing and handmade shoes whose aesthetic antecedents include Civil War uniforms and pre–Industrial Revolution/English country. It's expensive ($2,500 for a pair of oxfords!). And of course, he's big in Japan. Culty websites fetishize about his techniques (he buries shoes for a year!). The Fashion Spot has a few breathless threads about him, likewise this rather serious blog about tailoring, although nobody's actually met him — which, in these days of overexposure, is kind of refreshing. Here are a few images to get a sense of what he does, plus a couple arty short films. Harnden himself stars in The Bomb With a Man in His Shoe.

http://nymag.com/daily/fashion/2010/12/paul_harnden.html

EDIT: I'm that "tweeter" the writer references

[zamb]

Oh there's more!

The Mysterious Designer John Galliano Loves

Who is Paul Harnden, other than a designer John Galliano wears and loves? "He's an English boy ... he's very Greta Garbo," Galliano told Bridget Foley in WWD yesterday. "He does that rough kind of tweed and stuff. I buy all my stuff from him. I can't get a hold of him. I believe he lives in England by the sea."

It's no small thing to be unfindable these days, but Harnden, who was born in Canada, lives in England and, according to one The Cut tweeter, has been designing for 25 years and is pretty willfully obscure. His company, Paul Harnden Shoemakers Ltd., sells to a tiny, elite, culty group of stores — Dover Street Market in London, Envoy of Belfast in Ireland, If in Soho, L'Eclaireur in Paris. His aesthetic is very wrinkly, fantastically well-made clothing and handmade shoes whose aesthetic antecedents include Civil War uniforms and pre–Industrial Revolution/English country. It's expensive ($2,500 for a pair of oxfords!). And of course, he's big in Japan. Culty websites fetishize about his techniques (he buries shoes for a year!). The Fashion Spot has a few breathless threads about him, likewise this rather serious blog about tailoring, although nobody's actually met him — which, in these days of overexposure, is kind of refreshing. Here are a few images to get a sense of what he does, plus a couple arty short films. Harnden himself stars in The Bomb With a Man in His Shoe.

http://nymag.com/daily/fashion/2010/12/paul_harnden.html

EDIT: I'm that "tweeter" the writer references

I believe SZ was in mind here..................

[MikeN]

Haha actually if you click the link to NY Mag, the exact sentence you bolded has a link to some other site.

[cjbreed]

there goes the neighborhood is right. of all people...john galliano.

btw SZ does get a nod or too in the slideshow of that article

[Faust]

Great, now it's all over the fucking internet. Here comes the All Saints brigade.

[Peasant]

Christ..what an insulting title for an article about him.

[zamb]

Maybe I might be wrong, but I doubt that people without a genuine appreciation for his kind of clothing will suddenly jump on to this,............It not like it screams................."Hey look at me, Im wearing a 3K Jacket!"........... nor do I believe Paul is going to suddenly start selling to every retailer who comes knocking and by extension become more accessible.

Most of the people who quickly jump on to the newest look, are generally attracted to trends that draw attention to themselves..........I find harnden to be the very opposite of that.........
Also, dont knock Galliano, as much as his work has become not as nice as it used to be, the man knows about aesthetic and quality, ans surely as an Englishman, he should definitely be able to relate to the ideas and inspirations of Harnden..............

[Faust]

It doesn't matter what it screams - they will buy it cause it's in the magz.

And I am not knocking Galliano - although English? Hmmm, theoretically. He's from the Fraggle rock.

[Monty76]

I would be very interested to see Galliano in some PH. Only know him as the flamboyant character at his runway shows.

[Chant]

I would be very interested to see Galliano in some PH. Only know him as the flamboyant character at his runway shows.

At L'E, he was buying mostly women pieces.

[ink]

Wowwww, i wish i could have a chance to see PH work in person. I want to get a PH jacket so badly.

[zamb]

It doesn't matter what it screams - they will buy it cause it's in the magz.

And I am not knocking Galliano - although English? Hmmm, theoretically. He's from the Fraggle rock.

Yes and No,.............we'll see, I just think that because of the structure of his business and who he seems (more so who we perceive him to be) its difficult for this to translate into an over explosion of PH on the backs of those who would be on it just for the trend.

Also, the Galliano comment wasn't in reference to you but to cjbreed,

I know he is English of Spanish Blood (Gibraltar?)................Listen, I know the biography of almost every Famous designer there is..............some stupid lady decided she was gonna punish me when I was in College, send me to the Library to work......little did she know I was a readaholic!..............For two years I read everything there was to read......................and then some

[Monty76]

At L'E, he was buying mostly women pieces.

figures...

Pita, I will be sure to wear some PH when i come visit INK in a month.

[endersgame]

john galliano visited our studio on rare occasions and i never remembered him wearing any ph. maybe it was before the harnden flu epidemic..

he's enamored with gypsy culture from what i remember..