The Inventor of Japanese Jeans Meets the Originator of Serious Style
In the decade prior to Margaret Howell founding her namesake brand, Canton Overalls had both made history and become obselete.
Founded in 1963, Canton Overalls is Japan’s first proper jeans manufacturer. Before the country became renowned for its denim artistry, Canton manufactured the first-ever mass-produced Japanese jeans.
However, its pioneering history was short-lived. The brand ceased operations in 1968, and founder Kotaro Ozaki launched Big John Jeans, widely considered the brand that birthed Japanese denim as we know it.
However, apparel manufacturing imprint Toyoshima & Co. revived Canton in 2008 and appreciators of great design started taking notice.
Margaret Howell, the designer who practically pioneered the modern form of good dress, utilizes Canton’s expertise to create a range of hard-wearing denim in a slight departure from her usual team-up with similarly innovative denim brand Edwin.
Fall/Winter 2025 sees MHL. (Margaret Howell’s utilitarian diffusion line) launch a series of handsome boxy chore coats with oversized patch pockets and relaxed pleated jeans.
There’s the usual dark indigo workwear with gold-brown stitching but also new touches like natural denim made with unprocessed cotton yarn to retain its natural off-white color.
For Margaret Howell, a guiding force in gimmick-free fashion since the '70s, this straightforwardly stylish and carefully constructed workwear is business as usual.
The designer recently told Highsnobiety that, "good fabric, good shape, and an ease in wear: Those things do not date." MHL and Canton's workwear delivers on all those fronts.
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