Paul Harnden

[lowrey]

I assumed it was related to that as well

[Tyro]

did it occur to anyone that Paul just has multiple manufacturers for the jackets? you all realise he doesn't sew them himself right?

[Faust]

did it occur to anyone that Paul just has multiple manufacturers for the jackets? you all realise he doesn't sew them himself right?

Shut up!!! Do not shatter consumer mythology that lets them justify their purchases!

[lowrey]

I doubt anyone thinks he sews the stuff himself, but rather find it unlikely that suddenly everything is made a thousand kilometers away from where he is based.

[Icarium]

You never know though. There are people who are convinced that Altieri/Poell or Simone all handcraft their work. That hyperbolic sounding interview that Simone gave didn't help.

[Faust]

From what Simone told me he does lay a hand on every piece of footwear at some point, whether treating the leathers or putting the footwear together, but he's not making every pair from start to finish.

[Icarium]

Nod. That makes sense. I'd imagine a designer that operates on the scale he does in the markets they do (e.g. smaller production, higher end) does do a look over of what moves out similar to an executive chef at a restaurant.

I just question the logic of thinking anyone that sells at Barneys might be actually handmaking all his shit ;p Moreover, and correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't believe he has much of a traditional craftsman training pedigree whereas Poell has his tailoring training.... so I'm not at all convinced I'd want him making my leather footwear or clothes ;p

Sorry for a1923ing the Harnden thread :)

[byhand]

I remember reading that he makes 800 pairs a year, and that was a few years ago, so it may be more now. It's not possible for one man to make that many pairs of shoes each year. I'm surprised that he even makes that many. He only sells to a handful of retailers. The biggest selling design is obviously the trainer, which is offered in so many variations. The production of that design is likely fairly automated at this point. The trainer alone probably accounts for half of his sales. He likely spends most of his time sourcing leather, working on leather treatments and coming up with a few new designs each season.

Harnden spends a lot of time on fabric development. Part of the appeal for the consumer is that the fabrics he uses are not available elsewhere. This is one reason his prices are so high. The other reason for the high prices is that his wife wants a mansion on the Italian Riviera.

[Tyro]

I doubt anyone thinks he sews the stuff himself, but rather find it unlikely that suddenly everything is made a thousand kilometers away from where he is based.

well "suddenly" might be relative to how much attention you've been paying...

http://www.stylezeitgeist.com/forums/showpost.php?p=244803&postcount=321

[Faust]

Nod. That makes sense. I'd imagine a designer that operates on the scale he does in the markets they do (e.g. smaller production, higher end) does do a look over of what moves out similar to an executive chef at a restaurant.

I just question the logic of thinking anyone that sells at Barneys might be actually handmaking all his shit ;p Moreover, and correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't believe he has much of a traditional craftsman training pedigree whereas Poell has his tailoring training.... so I'm not at all convinced I'd want him making my leather footwear or clothes ;p

Sorry for a1923ing the Harnden thread :)

No, he does have a shoemaker training.

[Faust]

Harnden spends a lot of time on fabric development. Part of the appeal for the consumer is that the fabrics he uses are not available elsewhere. This is one reason his prices are so high. The other reason for the high prices is that his wife wants a mansion on the Italian Riviera.

Maybe, cause he's certainly not spending time on new designs Harnden is a shoemaker. Elena Dawson is the one mostly responsible for the clothing, she originally did the designs and the patterns, and that's why nothing has really changed since she left.

[lowrey]

well "suddenly" might be relative to how much attention you've been paying...

http://www.stylezeitgeist.com/forums...&postcount=321

I'm not talking about 5+ years ago though, I was under the impression that a majority of recent collections if not all have been made in England and the last collection was mostly tagged Scotland, hence the use of "suddenly". Of course, this impression is only based on what I've seen in stores, own or recall reading from sz.

[byhand]

Maybe, cause he's certainly not spending time on new designs Harnden is a shoemaker. Elena Dawson is the one mostly responsible for the clothing, she originally did the designs and the patterns, and that's why nothing has really changed since she left.

Isn't it curious that she doesn't spend more time working on her designs for men? The look she created for PH is so popular among a certain set that I'm surprised she doesn't tweak it and do more for men. If she did that and wasn't afraid of having an online presence, she could eclipse him and get market share for that look. I don't think anyone would give her much grief for stealing his mojo since we all know that she created it.

[Tyro]

I'm not talking about 5+ years ago though, I was under the impression that a majority of recent collections of not all have been made in England and the last one was tagged Scotland, hence the use of "suddenly". Of course, this impression is only based on what I've seen in stores, own or recall reading from sz.

PH clothing is generally manufactured by third parties Depending on designs, different items are produced by different "factories". Blazers have gone back and forward between England and Scotland for a while. Leather goods and shoes are generally made by Paul's team in Brighton.

Elena Dawson on the other hand does in fact sew everything herself (or at least within her own studio).

[Faust]

Isn't it curious that she doesn't spend more time working on her designs for men? The look she created for PH is so popular among a certain set that I'm surprised she doesn't tweak it and do more for men. If she did that and wasn't afraid of having an online presence, she could eclipse him and get market share for that look. I don't think anyone would give her much grief for stealing his mojo since we all know that she created it.

Perhaps the men's is more of an afterthought for her. Not sure.