During the last London Fashion Week, our attention was drawn to the collection by Palmer Harding, and their aesthetic collaboration with American photographer, Christy Lee Rogers. Intrigued by how one inspires the other, find out about their work apart and together as we focus first in Part 1 on Palmer//Harding, and then in Part 2 on Christy Lee Rogers.
Proclaimed as ‘one of the brands to watch’ by British Vogue, design duo Levi Palmer and Matthew Harding’s forthcoming A/W 13 Palmer Harding collection was presented in the NEWGEN space at London Fashion Week in February.
Presenting a quietly beautiful range of intricately detailed and directionally tailored pieces; the collection is fascinatingly both structured yet fluid. Devoid of bright colours the monochromatic palette lets the craftsmanship and sharp contrasts transfix the viewer.
Emma Daniels speaks to Levi Palmer about the brand that everyone’s talking about, the details of the new collection and his other half…
EMMA DANIELS: Describe Palmer.
LEVI PALMER: American, extraverted, prefers coffee.
ED: Describe Harding.
LP: Matthew Harding-. British, analytical, prefers tea.
ED: How did you both meet?
LP: We met at Central Saint Martins in London in 2007, Matthew was on the womenswear course and I was on the menswear pathway.
ED: Your collection presented at LFW in February was structured and fluid yet very intricate, what was behind this collection?
LP: As a duo with very different personalities and aesthetics, our work is often based in conflict and contrast. These are the elements that drive the design behind Palmer//Harding. Combining elements that seem polarised creates modern design. For us it is about designing a garment that pushes boundaries while remaining classic and season-less. We think good design and art in general should encapsulate these ideas.
ED: Your work looks so technical…
LP: There is a lot of effort put into each piece, and they are often very mathematical, but even though there are a lot of technical aspects, the end result looks easy for the consumer to integrate into their daily wardrobe. That is our goal.
ED: How did you come across the work of Christy Lee Rogers?
LP: We came across Christy by chance, I believe through an art blog perhaps that we check often, or it could have been a photography magazine, I cannot remember. When we started, the image Panthera Onca from her Odyssey collection took centre place on our inspiration wall. It combined the dark heady elements with the freedom of romance and movement that we wanted to achieve that season. With work as original and moving as hers it would be hard for anyone not to be influenced. When we were searching for invitation artwork we thought to email Christy and ask her permission to use the image. She kindly granted us permission and we have developed a strong and friendly relationship since.
ED: What does the Palmer//Harding brand stand for?
LP: Intelligent beauty, timeless and provoking.
ED: What is next for you both?
LP: We are currently working on a menswear collection which we are launching this season as part of London Collection Men and then we’ll be straight on to our next womenswear collection for spring/summer 2014. We are also working on a few collaborations but can’t give away any details yet…watch this space!
The Palmer//Harding collection is stocked internationally and is supported in the UK through the NEWGEN sponsored by Topshop scheme. For more information and a full list of stockists visit: www.palmerharding.com
