MEDIA KIT
FALL 2008
Do You Know Howe?
When designer Jade Howe launched Hause of Howe in 2000, the brand was quickly recognized
for its fresh West Coast perspective that put skinny jeans on the menswear map. Since then,
Howe has evolved into a premium lifestyle brand for men who confidently embrace the freedom
and adventure of expression through work and play. Widely known for sophisticated fits and
distinctive detailing, Howe succinctly merges the spirit and attitude of the “indie executive”
with the style and refinement of an English country gentleman. Mixing luxurious, progressive
fabrications and blending the American streetwear vibe with European tailoring, each collection
presents a variety of possibilities…and combines a little of the expected with the unexpected.
Inspired by music and art, Howe continues to illustrate a sleek, innovative and authentic approach
to men’s fashion culture. Speaking to those who know what they like and strive to find things
that are different and exciting, Howe offers richly designed graphic tees, embroidered vests and
soft denim, as well as double-cuffed wovens, outerwear and suits. And it doesn’t stop there. Recently added to upcoming collections: ultra-cool swim shorts and ties. A celebration of personal style and growth, Howe continues to set trends across the world.
•hauseofhowe.com•
About Jade Howe
1. Why and how did you become a designer?
I was trying to hook up with this beautiful girl. She invited me to an FIDM recruiting luncheon. All I heard was
free chicken lunch. I was a starving surfer at the time. I signed up, she didn’t the rest is history.
2. When do you usually get the inspiration for your works?
It’s a very ambiguous thing. Usually, when I’m away from work, traveling, hanging out with friends or family,
I get perspective on all the ideas that are formulating in my mind. Once I get clarity, it’s on. If I get stuck, I go
surfing and that usually gets me inspired.
3. Could you tell us the process of working on your pieces?
I always work from a theme or a story line. I create a script and develop characters. Then I design their entire
wardrobe and the lifestyle that surrounds the look. Some times it’s a fictisious rock band, or it can be loosely
based on people whose style I admire. Of course there are overtones of my own personal style developed in each
character.
4. What do you feel is important when you are working on your pieces?
To have a very clear picture of what I’m trying to say. I try to design my collections with as few pieces as possible
to tell the story. The more focused it is, the stronger the impact to both buyers and consumers.
5. What do you think about the current fashion trend?
I don’t know much about the current trends. However I’m really happy that men are taking an interest in how
they dress again. I try to stay one step ahead of our customer, and create the looks that they don’t know they want
yet.
6. What do you do on your day off?
What day off? I read the bible, surf, and spend time with my family
7. What do you think about LA?
Like any city, it has its good and bad points. Good= Sun, sand, fun, plenty of shopping, entertainment, and great
restaurants. Bad= traffic, crime, and everyone jockeying to be somebody. Everyone’s a VIP. It’s laughable.
8. What is your favorite cuisine? Could you tell us your favorite restaurants?
Japanese food. Felix at the top of the peninsula hotel HK, Koi, Captain Jacks (best Alaskan king crab in the world)
About Jade Howe
9. Are there any people who inspired you? Who do you respect?
Peter Murphy from Bauhaus is a good friend and inspires me. He’s the original English Country Gentleman.
10. Favorite word or phrase
You can’t give what you do not have.
11. What is your goal?
To become America’s next top menswear designer, while staying spiritually and physically balanced.
12. Any message?
If you don’t stand for something you’ll fall for anything……
•hauseofhowe.com•
A Brief History of Howe
2000 - Former Quiksilver designer Jade Howe declares the trend of guys
wearing baggy, wide-leg pants belted below the hips to be officially
over. He becomes determined to help them add sophistication and
style to their look with slimmer, tailored fits. “It seems like when the
country supersized its fries, it supersized their clothes, “Jade Howe.
2001 - Jade Howe and skate legends Tony Hawk and Per Welinder of Blitz
Distribution officially launch Howe, the first premium men’s sportswear
collection to spring out of trend hot bed Orange County, CA.
2001 - Howe Launches “Do You Know Howe?” campaign.
2002 - J ade Howe first coins the term, “Cowboy-Punk meets English Country
Gentleman” to describe the direction of his line, thus redefining the
gentleman rocker look. ‘Tailored looks with a rock ‘n’ roll edge’ comes
to America.
2002 - By combining alternative West Coast music influences with an English
tailoring feel, Howe quickly garners media and specialty boutique
acclaim, as well as a loyal following of fashion-forward consumers,
musicians, artists, and celebrities.
“Howe is one of the most exciting men’s labels to emerge in the last five
years...“ Karen Meena, Fred Segal
“Revolutionary young men’s line strikes at pure genius” MAGIC
magazine
2002 - Launches, “Howe – tailored denim – Deconstructed in America”
campaign.
2003 - Sportswear International Magazine names Howe, “Best New Men’s
Sportswear Collection.”
2003 - Jade Launches “Why Steal Her Jeans” campaign in response to the
wave of guys coming into his studio wearing women’s boot-cut jeans
in search of a more tailored fit. The Skinny Puppy jean is born.
“Mr. Howe was among the earliest to take men’s jeans and radically lower the rise...” NY Times, April, 2004
2004 - Howe wins men’s magazine DNR ‘Editor’s Choice Award’ as “small
young men’s line most likely to get big in a hurry.”
“Howe is the Ralph Lauren or Armani for the indie generation” Warner
Bros music executive
“Finally, a designer from the OC who realizes there is life beyond board
shorts.” Stuff Magazine
November 2004 - Howe opens luxurious‘Howe Homme’ lifestyle store and custom atelier concept where men receive one on-one styling and
custom tailoring attention. Becomes a vital platform for Jade’s vision
to help men hone in and define their personal style.
February 2005 - launches “Indie Executive” concept and full-fledged collection.
Jade begins to refer to this business-meets-street professional as ‘indie
executives - the artistically-minded entrepreneurial male - the Howe
customer. The concept explodes in the media and Howe grabs hold of
the cultural zeitgeist (once again).
“He’s the starving musician who became the high-powered executive, but
doesn’t want to let go of his roots,” Jade Howe in Los Angeles Times
Magazine, Sept. 2005.
“Imagine a cowboy punk rocker kidnapped and made over by a band of Savile
Row clothiers.” Los Angeles Times Magazine Sept. 2005
“Designers as wide-ranging as Etro, Paul Smith and Jade Howe are
experimenting with a sartorial sensibility best defined as Beau Brummel
meets Johnny Rotten on the fashion runways this Fall.” Los Angeles Times
Magazine Sept. 2005
March/April 2005 - throws successful ‘Indie Executive’ launch events at the
W Hotel in Los Angeles & New York. Packed with tastemakers, indie
rockers, and celebrities.
May 2005 - Jade Howe mentors students at Otis College of Art & Design. Jade’s
students’ designs end up in the windows of Neiman Marcus, Beverly
Hills. Other mentors include Bob Mackie and Vera Wang.
QM^UZM Peter Murphy - Bauh
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November 2005 - Jade Howe receives a Stuff Magazine Style Icon Award
with Kanye West, Giorgio Armani, Kings of Leon & John Varvatos) in
recognition of the cultural impact of the ‘Howe’ look and lifestyle.
Peter Murphy - Bauh
aus
February 2006 – Creates custom suits for Linkin Park front man Chester Bennington to wear to the Grammys and Peter Murphy of Bauhaus
for his recent tour. Bennington wears it on stage during performance
with Jay-Z and Paul McCartney. “We did suits for Linkin Park for the
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Grammys and Chester said he never wanted to dress down again, “
Jade Howe from ‘Fashion Rocks.’
•Smashing Pumpkins
•Korn
•Weezer
•All American Rejects
•Radiohe
•Beck
•Coldplay
•Orgy
Chester Bennington
- 2006 Grammys
April 2007 - Hause of Howe launches, The Fugitive Collection – On The
Run. A secret creative society that is building a subversive lifestyle
and communicating through the use of Clothing, Art, Music, and
Technology. The story, mystery, and intrigue unfold.
Davey Havok - AFI
October 2006 - The dream comes true. Jade Howe announces sale and
partnership of the Howe brand to Seattle Pacific Industries, Inc (SPI).
SPI to infuse capital for global expansion, new designer collections,
•Tommy Lee
•Peter Murphy
maintain Howe’s impeccable distribution, and fuel the opening
of
•Daddy Yankee
•Gilby Clark
Howe Homme stores.
Chester Bennington
y - 2006 Grammys
of Linkin Park with Jay-Z & Paul McCartne
Davey Havok - AFI
February 2006 - The company is renamed, “Hause of Howe” in reaction to
the formal European couture houses and to reflect the significantly
expanded collection. “Hause of Howe is about glamour and trash
combined with beautifully fitting cuts,” says Davey Havok, lead singer
of AFI. Howe becomes one of several soon-to-be developed projects
under the ‘Hause of Howe’ lifestyle umbrella.
•hauseofhowe.com•
•Tommy Lee
•Peter Murphy
•Daddy Yankee
•Gilby Clark
•Smashing Pumpkin
•Korn
•Weezer
•All American Reject
FALL/HOLIDAY 2008
MOODS OF ROCK
INDIE • CLASSIC • LUXE
HAUSE OF HOWE INTRODUCES THE MOODS OF ROCK:
CLASSIC, INDIE AND LUXE COLLECTIONS FOR FALL ‘08
Featuring Rich Fabrications, Distinct Styling, and Classically Tailored Silhouettes, Howe’s Newest Collections are
Inspired by and Designed for Guys Who Appreciate an Understated West Coast Style
WHO:Hause of Howe (www.hauseofhowe.com), the leading contemporary menswear brand known for
its “Cowboy Punk meets English Country Gentleman” style, is upping the ante this season with the
introduction of The Moods of Rock, a collection comprised of three groups: Classic, Indie and Luxe.
Reflecting Jade Howe’s attention to the finest details and love of fine fabrics, the Classic, Indie and
Luxe collections capture the brand’s signature tailoring and punk rock edge, while incorporating
new cuts, innovative fabrics and focused color stories.
WHAT: Howe’s Classic, Indie and Luxe collections represent a perfect mix of urban attitude and
environmental consciousness; confident style and unexpected details.
Each group has its own distinctive voice:
THE CLASSIC GUY
THE INDIE EXECUTIVE
THE LUXE GENTLEMAN
• Streetwise and socially
responsible
• Well read and outgoing
• More interested in his reputation
than a big corporate paycheck
• In his iPod: Led Zeppelin, Johnny
Cash, Wolf Mother, ACDC, Joy
Division, Motley Crue, Neil
Young, Cake, Run DMC, Beastie
Boys, Sly and the Family Stone
• Works as a musician, DJ or
technophile
• Refined taste -- penchant for luxury
•Well traveled
• Aesthetically driven with an easy style
• Lives in an Urban landscape (Los
Angeles, Prague, Osaka, and
London are his playgrounds)
• In his iPod: Souxie, Bauhaus,
The Cult, Yellowcard, Yeah Yeah
Yeahs, Dandy Warhols, Lords of
Acid, Henry Rollins
• Works in Film, Music,
Photography, Journalism
• City slicker with a bohemian side
• A jet-setter who has “made it”:
Monte Carlo, Cannes, New York,
Tokyo, Prague, and the Italian
Rivera are his stomping grounds
• A night owl, always on the
move… VIP at the latest hot spots
• Only buys the best of everything
• In his iPod: Everything from
Interpol and The White Stripes to
Rare Quincy Jones
• He is a power executive
Key Trends and Influences
• Stylized cuts and soft fabrics
• Acid washed corduroy
• Washed leather
• Denim suiting – 5 pocket jean,
vest and jacket
• Archetypal English Country Gent
• Vintage inspiration with an easy
rock and roll style
Subtle Details
• Signature Double cuffs
• Small, hidden stories inside the
garments
• Strong graphic embellishments
Color Story
• Fade to Black • Antique white
• Canteen • Stagehand brown
• Death Valley • Deep purple
• Roseline • Gold Record
• Road Rash • Floral patterns,
timeless plaids, classic chambray
Key Trends and Influences
• Clean lines and simple washes
• Skinny, tailored cuts
• Synthetic fabrics
• Punk rock politics
• Industrial undertones
Subtle Details
• Lurex thread
• Coated denim
• Iconic hardware; zippers and
buttons
Color Story
• Paint it black
• Antique white
• Cold Blood
• Platinum Album
• Polka dots and Stripes
Key Trends and Influences
• Polished jackets and outwear
• Super-premium swim trunks
• High-end European fabrications
• Sexy Suits
• The red carpet
Subtle Details
• Double-layer trimming
• Lurex thread
• Clean finishes
Color Story
• Black
• Antique white
• Ash Grey
• Deep Purple
• Port Royal
MOODS OF ROCK LOOKS
WHO’S WEARING HOWE
Peter Murphy - Bauhaus, Chester Bennington - Linkin Park, Tommy Lee - Rockstar Supernova
Davey Havok - AFI, Marilyn Manson, Daddy Yankee, Munky - KORN, Richie Sambora
• Smashing Pumpkins
• Radiohead
• HBO’s Entourage
• Beck
• American Idol
• Weezer
• Coldplay
• Bon Jovi
• Gilby Clark
• All American Rejects
• Orgy
• The Mars Volta
• Jack Black
• Eighteen Visions
• The Rock
• Queens of the Stoneage