‘I wanted it to be alive and have a sense of activity,’ says designer Margaret Howell of the original vision for her eponymous label’s 34 Wigmore Street headquarters in a voiceover for a new short film, A Working Space, released today in celebration of 20 years at the address.
The short film, directed by Emily Richardson – whose work has previously been screened at Tate Modern, BFI London, Barbican Cinema and various international festivals – takes the viewer inside the Marylebone address that houses the brand’s offices and flagship store, and has also played host to various Margaret Howell fashion shows, exhibitions and events. The space itself, recognised for its high vaulted ceiling, was designed in collaboration with architect William Russell in 2002.
A Working Space: a new film from Margaret Howell
34 Wigmore Street photographed during construction.
‘[The film] acknowledges the whole company, and the workforce involved in producing what is on display,’ says Howell. Filmed around 34 Wigmore Street, the film sees the camera linger on the various operations that take place within the building: hands wrapping up a purchase in tissue paper, employees gathered for collection meetings and fittings, a rare glimpse of the designer herself at work. Other scenes are more quotidian; towards the end of the short, Howell is shown picking up leaves in a tiny outdoor courtyard. ‘[I want it to have a] strong sense of family,’ she surmises of the brand’s home.
A Working Space will be shown at 34 Wigmore Street and across international Margaret Howell websites from 19 August 2022. In the store itself, an exhibition will coincide with the film’s release, featuring photographs and quotes from Margaret Howell’s longest-standing customers, collaborators, and members of staff.
Watch Margaret Howell’s short film A Working Space, below.
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