The white shirt. Most of you will have one, probably tucked somewhere near your work clothes. It is a wardrobe staple, it is always professional but isn’t it also a bit…meh? It might be a working wardrobe must-have but it is hard to get excited about the sensible classic. Well, design duo Palmer//Harding have got excited about it and soon you will too.
After meeting at Central Saint Martins, Levi Palmer and Matthew Harding went on to form men and women’s luxury label, Palmer//Harding. Deciding it was high time the humble white shirt was given a fashion make over, they made cotton white shirts their speciality and the focus of their collections. Their directional design and quality craftsmanship is making the white shirt a coveted item once again.
Now hailed as “Pioneers of Shirting”, the duo have gone from strength to strength and even secured sort after sponsorship from Cotton USA for their AW14 collection at London Fashion Week. Their collections have been featured in American and British Vogue and the sponsorship recognises them as rising stars and will further boost their profile.
Since launching in September 2011 the creative pair has honed their skills to create directional collections that are stocked in the UK and internationally. Their AW14 collection is inspired by paper; taking the linear forms and flat planes to create fashion focused sharp white shirts. The classic shirts are given simple flourishes that transform them to go way beyond your normal office staple. The rest of the collection follows the same clean lines and sharp silhouette but adds flashes of neon to give a fashion forward edge.
No longer will your white work shirt be your fall back option; make like Palmer//Harding and give it a starring role in your 2014 working wardrobe.
By Samantha Vandersteen