Palmer//Harding

If you love a statement shirt, Palmer//Harding is one of the few labels built entirely around that idea, so the craft is genuinely concentrated there. The brand was founded around the central concept of reinterpreting a woman's shirt, which means the cut, drape, and pattern work carry the design rather than the logo. For a wardrobe piece you will restyle endlessly, many owners treat it as an investment rather than a one-season buy.

The Super Shirt is one of the brand's signature, much-photographed pieces, and it became a milestone moment when Michelle Obama wore it in 2017. It typifies the duo's approach of taking a familiar shirt and pushing its proportions and drape into something sculptural. It is a good example of why the label is known for shirting above all else.

The label is a duo: Levi Palmer, born in Belton, Texas in 1981, and John "Matthew" Harding, born in England in 1984. They met in 2007 while studying at Central Saint Martins in London, began a relationship, and entered into a civil partnership in 2008. They live and work in Hoxton, London.

The brand was founded around 2011 after Harding was approached by the French award establishment ANDAM to be a competition finalist. Inspired by that experience, Palmer and Harding decided to combine their talents around the single idea of reinterpreting the woman's shirt. They used the savings from Harding's earlier prize winnings and famously launched the label out of his childhood bedroom in Rickmansworth.

Everything flows from the shirt, reimagined through cut, drape, and pattern rather than ornament. The duo both trained in pattern cutting at Central Saint Martins, so their pieces lean architectural, with sculptural sleeves and unexpected proportions. The result is shirting elevated well beyond what a shirt is usually supposed to be.

The brand is stocked by major international retailers including Harrods and Liberty in London, Neiman Marcus in the USA, and online at outlets like Net-A-Porter. In its early days it was carried by boutiques such as Forty Five Ten in Dallas and Joyce in Hong Kong. Buying through these established stockists is the safest way to be sure of authenticity.

The label earned its standing quickly: it was supported by the British Fashion Council's NewGen initiative from 2011 and showed its first catwalk collection at London Fashion Week in September 2013. In 2017 the duo won the British Fashion Council/Vogue Designer Fashion Fund. That kind of institutional backing reflects genuine respect for their pattern-cutting craft.

Yes. A 2016 capsule collaboration with John Lewis gained attention when former Prime Minister Theresa May wore one of their shirts to several press appearances. The following year, Michelle Obama wore the brand's Super Shirt. These moments helped cement its reputation for statement shirting.

Because the pieces are sculptural by design, let the shirt be the focus and keep everything else simple. Tucked into tailored trousers or a clean skirt, a statement-sleeved shirt reads as polished evening or workwear; left relaxed over denim, it turns casual without losing its drama. The garment does the talking, so styling can stay quiet.

After the ANDAM experience, the duo's business idea caught the eye of Sarah Mower, which led the British Fashion Council to offer them NewGen support in September 2011. Their first collection, for Spring/Summer 2012, was shown as part of an exhibition at London Fashion Week. From a childhood bedroom in Rickmansworth, the brand grew into a globally stocked womenswear label.