The Classicist: Grahame Fowler Brings Authentic British Style to NYC

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed)
Feb 8th 2010 at 9:01AM

Designer Grahame Fowler has opened a cool new boutique in New York's West Village, bringing British style with an original, eclectic twist to the Big Apple. He's not one of your twentysomething hipster types, but rather a seasoned multi-disciplinary creative whiz incorporating colorful experiences abroad and a healthy dose of the '60s Mod sensibility from his youth in the UK into an array of stylish designs. The small, crowded West 10th Street store, or "creative lab and retail space" as Fowler calls it, features a wealth of clothing and accessories ranging from outerwear, suits, sweaters, shirts, ties, scarves, belts and boots to chess sets, vintage Rolex watches and restored Vespa scooters. Many items display a British military and nautical influence as well, emphasized by Fowler's anchor logo adapted from his father's naval tattoo and liberal use of the Union Jack.

Barney's Creative Director Simon Doonan has become a big fan. "On the total indie front I'm loving Grahame Fowler, this incredibly hip, gorgeous microstore next to the fire station on 10th street," he declared recently. "He has the best shirts, and he's an English dude with a great mod sensibility - and I'm stuck in 1966, so I can relate." All of Fowler's unique, handmade, pieces are sourced and crafted in New York. His tailored items are characterized by relaxed silhouettes, fine fabrics and the luxury of comfort. His attention to detail is apparent in button holes varying in size and color, pastel hued elbow pads on crisp white button downs, and hidden straps inside jackets designed to hold one's newspaper. He also offers select women's pieces such as button down shirts crafted from vintage fabrics with cotton poplin details.

Gallery: Grahame Fowler

Fowler traveled frequently as a youth and lived in Kenya for three years, falling in love with the culture, music, and food. After a stint at London's Royal College of Art he began his global adventures in business and fashion, spending two decades as a sort of "designer behind the designers". During a spell in Japan Fowler worked alongside Issey Miyake and Yohji Yamamoto. He then returned to London and established the Timney-Fowler Design Company while working with major European fashion houses including Valentino, Yves Saint Laurent, Emmanuel Ungaro and Giorgio Armani. Working with textiles over the years also inspired him to create a collection of Goodwill Bears, handcrafted teddy bears made with scraps of apparel fabrics from his extensive collection. They retail for $50 and 25% of each sale goes to Textile Industry Children's Trust in the United Kingdom.

Tags: British fashion, BritishFashion, Grahame Fowler, GrahameFowler, New York, NewYork, Simon Doonan, SimonDoonan, UK