Searching for Fashion's
GQ India|April 2022
Somewhere in Brighton, a mysterious man named Paul Harnden is making handcrafted leather shoes and clothing using old-world techniques. And he has garnered a cult following that includes fashion die-hards and a few A-list celebrities who get it. As the fashion industry attempts to become more sustainable, it might learn a thing or two from Harnden's slow approach. That is, if he can be found.
LOU STOPPARD
Searching for Fashion's

ABOUT EIGHT YEARS AGO, the actor Jeremy Strong, who plays Kendall Roy in Succession and who is known for his esoteric, romantic tastes in clothes, found himself in Brighton, a seaside town on the south coast of England. Brighton happens to be home to the secretive shoemaker and fashion designer Paul Harnden, whose vintage-looking, vaguely Dickensian pieces are made by some of England's oldest mills, in traditional tweeds, or silks or sturdy Ventile. Strong decided to use the occasion to track Harnden down. He tried an LLC address, tried Google Earth. He did everything he could, he told me, "in the hopes of getting a pair of coveted P.H. boots, but to no avail”. Harnden was undiscoverable. "The trail went cold. A riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma, made with extreme care and artistry," Strong said.

To Strong, this only added to the appeal. "He is reclusive, un-self-seeking, and committed to the work exclusively-those values, to me, seem immanent within the garments," he said of Harnden, who is » known for being intensely specific and controlled. He sells to only a handful of stores, usually no more than one or two in each city. He rarely changes his shapes. He insists that his clothing not be discounted or put on sale, never loaned for photo shoots, never sold online. "He is doing something that is almost the exact opposite of what Walter Benjamin termed 'Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction," Strong said, citing the theory that replication can undermine an object's "aura". He called what Harnden does "ineffable and real”, noting that in "a world of increasing noise”, he is trying to create his own, clear sound. "Someone who does that, in any field, is as rare as a snow leopard these days and as vital," Strong said.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة April 2022 من GQ India.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة April 2022 من GQ India.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

المزيد من القصص من GQ INDIA مشاهدة الكل
The 30 Best Watches Of 2024
GQ India

The 30 Best Watches Of 2024

Rounding up the best shapes, materials, complications and sizes from this year's horological novelty treasure chest.

time-read
10+ mins  |
October - November 2024
Wes Lang's Heroes of Love...
GQ India

Wes Lang's Heroes of Love...

Last month, LA-based artist Wes Lang unveiled The Black Paintings, a monumental series of works that play like storyboards to a raucous midnight horror movieand a spiritual quest. Here, GQ collaborates with the artist on a fashion story that brings his stylish characters off the canvas.

time-read
8 mins  |
October - November 2024
The Miraculous Resurrection of Notre Dame
GQ India

The Miraculous Resurrection of Notre Dame

In 2019, a fire nearly destroyed the crown jewel of France-and the nation set a breakneck five-year deadline to bring it back from the ashes. This is the story of how an army of artisans turned back centuries to restore Notre-Dame by hand, and wound up reviving something even greater than the cathedral itself.

time-read
10+ mins  |
October - November 2024
"IT'S NOT ABOUT BEING PERFECT. IT'S ABOUT BEING REVOLUTIONARY."
GQ India

"IT'S NOT ABOUT BEING PERFECT. IT'S ABOUT BEING REVOLUTIONARY."

Beyoncé Knowles-Carter talks business, legacy, art, and family

time-read
10+ mins  |
October - November 2024
The Wedding Singers
GQ India

The Wedding Singers

Madboy Mink's dynamic duo, Saba Azad and Imaad Shah, redefine festive style.

time-read
5 mins  |
October - November 2024
A Watch Is More Than Just a Pretty Face
GQ India

A Watch Is More Than Just a Pretty Face

As collectors look to make their grail watches stand out, they're turning to unique vintage bracelets and paying thousands on thousands for straps on the secondary market.

time-read
3 mins  |
October - November 2024
The Fluidity of Cartier
GQ India

The Fluidity of Cartier

Why Gen Z stars are obsessed with this historic maison.

time-read
2 mins  |
October - November 2024
A Princess with Passion
GQ India

A Princess with Passion

From restoring monuments to reviving hereditary crafts, Bhavnagar's Brijeshwari Kumari Gohil has her sights on the future.

time-read
6 mins  |
October - November 2024
THE FUTURE SOUNDS LIKE AT EEZ
GQ India

THE FUTURE SOUNDS LIKE AT EEZ

The Coachella-slaying, multi-language-singing, genre-obliterating members of Ateez are quickly becoming load-bearing stars of our global pop universe.

time-read
10 mins  |
August - September 2024
DEMNA UNMASKED
GQ India

DEMNA UNMASKED

He's the most influential designer of the past decade. He's also the most controversial. Now the creative director of Balenciaga is exploring a surprising source of inspiration: happiness. GQ's Samuel Hine witnesses the dawn of Demna's new era, in Paris, New York, and Shanghai. Photographs by Jason Nocito.

time-read
10+ mins  |
August - September 2024