Brand: Mizuno x Margaret Howell
Season: Fall/Winter 2021
Buy: Margaret Howell's website
Editor's Notes: Margaret Howell and Mizuno are a match made in no-nonsense heaven.
The duo have teamed up on a trio of sensible offerings for Fall/Winter 2021, including outerwear and footwear.
The Mizuno x Margaret Howell hiking shoe is modeled after Mizuno's Wave Gazelle, a trail-ready silhouette that features the Japanese footwear brand's signature Wave technology. Much Like Howell's take on Converse's Chuck Taylor All-Star, the hiking shoe is redone in an ultra-minimal colorway.
A rainproof hiking jacket is constructed with functional extras including a two-way zipper, storm flap pocket, and drawcord hood. Topping off the collab, a hiking coat is finished with luxe details including horn buttons and leather accents.
The collaboration speaks to increasing crossover between performance, lifestyle, and fashion. Mizuno, whose origins are in sports gear, recently collaborated with several fashion and art entities seemingly out of its purview, including GCDS, Wood Wood and Hajime Sorayama.
Margaret Howell, a bastion of classic British style, is a fitting counterpart for the Osaka-based Mizuno. Though the brands may not seem suited to each other at first glance, they share a commitment to no-frills form and function, a like-mindedness that cemented their first partnership in 2017.
Despite Howell's English roots, much of her success is owed to her Japanese fanbase. Howell is also a self-professed super-fan of Japanese design, a minimal aesthetic that carries through all of her work. For the 50th anniversary of Margaret Howell, the brand, the designer debuted a three-minute short film that functions as a sort of love letter to the country.
Relationships come and go, but Mizuno and Margaret Howell are an item we're sure will stand the test of time.
