Margaret Howell’s latest Fred Perry collaboration is inspired by vintage sportswear

Margaret Howell looked into the Fred Perry archive for her latest collaborative collection with the brand, while drawing on her own memories of sports at school

Margaret Howell Fred Perry collection campaign
Fred Perry for Margaret Howell S/S 2023
(Image credit: Courtesy of Margaret Howell)
By Jack Moss
published

Margaret Howell first collaborated with Fred Perry in 2019, the first collection inspired by the latter’s roots in tennis (the 1952-founded brand’s namesake was a three-times Wimbledon champion). It is a partnership that has proved fruitful, and fitting – both labels are synonymous with British style, and have been adopted by subculture and establishment alike. 

Sportswear remains prescient to the latest chapter of the collaboration – titled 'Fred Perry for Margaret Howell’ – which launches online on June 16, 2023 and in stores from June 19. ’I enjoyed sports and athletics at school and when I began designing clothes, sportswear was a source of inspiration – photographs of sports men and women in action for example,’ says Howell. 

Fred Perry for Margaret Howell S/S 2023

Margaret Howell Fred Perry collection

(Image credit: Courtesy of Margaret Howell)

‘I also grew up with the name of Fred Perry so to collaborate with the Fred Perry company, and their expertise of manufacture, I feel is a happy match,’ she continues.

As such, the collection – made for both men and women – is defined by its ease of design, whether a gently oversized open-collared rib sweatshirt (a riff on Fred Perry’s famed signature polo shirt), zip-cuff narrow-leg track pants, or a polo-neck dress evocative of women’s tenniswear. A restrained colour palette spans black, off-white, burnt orange and khaki; each piece is completed with Fred Perry’s signature laurel leaf logo as an embroidered self-coloured motif.

Alongside, a smattering of accessories complete the collection; namely, a classic pair of cotton sports socks and a high-top plimsoll in black canvas with a natural rubber sole.

'Fred Perry for Margaret Howell’ is available from tomorrow (16 June, 2023) online and in stores from 19 June, 2023.

margarethowell.co.uk

Margaret Howell Fred Perry collection

(Image credit: Courtesy of Margaret Howell)
Jack Moss
Fashion Features Editor

Jack Moss is the Fashion Features Editor at Wallpaper*. Having previously held roles at 10, 10 Men and AnOther magazines, he joined the team in 2022. His work has a particular focus on the moments where fashion and style intersect with other creative disciplines – among them art and design – as well as championing a new generation of international talent and profiling the industry’s leading figures and brands. 

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