PAUL HARNDEN - Nostalgia

This season again, it is wrapped in a halo of mystery that appear the creations signed Paul Harnden. The designer, who is part of the long history of clothing, questions our relationship to time and material.

His collections include coats, jackets, tweed blazers, pants and skirts with a crumpled effect, shoes and hats, like so many treasures that seem to have crossed the ages.

Each of his creations is the fruit of authentic workmanship, handcrafted to the highest degree, and of a sincerity beyond compare. Paul Harnden develops an aesthetic that is both raw and refined, inspired by the English countryside, Amish culture, clothing worn during the American Civil War and the pre-industrial revolution, as well as by information he can find in archives dating back to 1779.

A practicing environmentalist, Paul Harnden works only with the materials he has at his disposal, taking from the earth only what it is willing to give him. The tweeds of his jackets and coats are thick, the linens of his shirts are rough, and the leathers of his shoes offer a particular patina that only he knows. To achieve a natural aged effect, Paul Harnden sometimes buries his designs in the ground for several weeks, letting nature finish the job.

Paul Harnden began his career as a shoemaker over 25 years ago.

An intimate and discreet designer, admired by John Galliano, he has since developed an inimitable savoir-faire that echoes the artisanal techniques of our ancestors. Now based in Brighton, England, his passion for pinhole photography is a testament to his relationship with time and modern techniques, as evidenced by his photographs and the short film "The Dream", shot on 16mm film with his sidekick Stuart Pitkin.

Walk backwards to the mysteries of Paul Harnden, at Leclaireur Hérold.