After Margaret Howell
An interview with Peter Han, founder and designer of Fields of Necessity
I imagine Peter Han sitting in his London flat, caught between excitement and fatigue. He has spent every day of the new year preparing for the presentation of his new brand’s first collection, set to be shown in Paris next week. When time allows, he’s been walking — most often around Waterloo Park, recently introduced to him by a friend — which offers a “quiet, grounding break” from the pre-Paris rush.
Not long ago, Han travelled to the North York Moors, a national park some four and a half hours from London. Being away from the city was important to him. It encouraged reflection on “more essential things — particularly the sense that once something has passed or disappeared, it doesn’t return in the same way.” It may seem a surprising thought for a fashion designer trained at the Royal College of Art, where Han graduated from the MA Fashion Menswear program. Fashion, if anything, operates like an eternal return — thriving on things passing, disappearing and returning again, cloaked in a type of sameness that usually passes for difference.
But Han is not that designer. Born in South Korea, he worked in London from 2018 to 2023 at Margaret Howell, the low-key icon of wearable, timeless clothes and — to quote — “one of the most important designers in [recent] fashion history.” He started at the company part-time in retail while completing his MA, joining the menswear design team upon graduating. There, he worked closely with Howell and Ioannis Chlonidis, Head of Menswear, and was immersed in an atelier where some of today’s most value-driven, most real-world clothes get made — all shaped by Howell’s singular, hands-on design ethos.
After five years at Margaret Howell, Han is striking out on his own. He initially worked under his own name, until launching a brand felt the right move. Now, he’s ready for the world to know.
A couple of weeks ago, Han reached out to me to introduce Fields of Necessity. The email was as unassuming as it was totally confident, much like the clothes in the lookbook he sent along. A few pieces immediately drew me in: the ‘Cashmere Base Crew Neck’, made in Scotland from a cashmere/merino blend; the ‘Clean Wool Polo’, also made in Scotland from 100% wool, with horn buttons; and the ‘Stand Collar Work Jacket’, made in Portugal from Japanese heavyweight corduroy. Are they game-changing? No. Are they going to shift the entire menswear conversation about style? Probably not. Will you love them and wear them to death? Absolutely. And that’s exactly their purpose, I’d say.
The brand is introduced publicly for the first time in Paris, beginning with its AW26 collection. “It felt important to begin there—quietly, but with intent—and let the work speak before saying too much,” Han wrote in his email. And yet, luckily for you and me, he was willing to say something, and much more than that.
During our conversation, he opened up about his years at Margaret Howell, what he learned from working with Margaret and Ioannis, how values—life experiences, really—translate into garments, why he chose to launch a brand and what doing this involves, and his deep appreciation for the most ordinary aspects of daily life.
Lukas Mauve: Peter, you’ll understand I’m eager to hear about your time at Margaret Howell. What was that like? What made it a meaningful experience for you?
Peter Han: “Margaret Howell felt like a place where the entire company shared a deeply rooted set of values. What stood out was that this wasn’t imposed in a top-down way — it felt more like a space where people with similar sensibilities and interests naturally gathered. While my initial interest was driven by admiration for the brand, the five years I spent there had a profound influence on who I am today.”
Lukas Mauve: What is it that you most admire about Margaret Howell?
Peter Han: “Her work feels essential, thoughtful, and deeply humble. She once said, ‘I don’t describe myself as a fashion designer — I introduce myself as a clothing designer.’ For me, that sentence perfectly summarizes her approach.”
“Margaret’s work begins not with fashion, but with fundamental questions: what clothing is, how people want to wear it, and what is truly necessary. This way of thinking — placing necessity and lived experience before expression — forms a foundation of modern menswear.”
Lukas Mauve: How do you feel she has changed menswear?
Peter Han: “This design perspective isn’t hers alone, of course. But Margaret has spent more than fifty years articulating it with clarity and consistency. In doing so, she has created a language that continues to resonate deeply with designers and people who care about clothing today.”
Lukas Mauve: You said that working at Margaret Howell had a profound influence on who you are. Could you tell me how that happened?
Peter Han: “Working closely with Margaret, the founder and creative director, and with Ioannis, the head of menswear, was particularly formative. It shaped my understanding not only of clothing, but of attitude, observation, and life. These lessons were rarely taught explicitly, but absorbed through time spent together.”
Lukas Mauve: Could you give me an example?
Peter Han: “One of the most meaningful experiences for me was traveling on location each season for the campaign shoots, often alongside Margaret herself. It went far beyond simply attending a shoot — those trips became a way of fully understanding the brand. Being on location revealed how carefully every decision was made: why a place [often in the British landscape — LM] was chosen, how garments were styled, and how restraint often mattered more than expression. Margaret’s presence was quiet and precise, and her attention to small details consistently shaped the final outcome.
“Over time, these experiences taught me that the brand isn’t defined by the clothes alone, but by the context they’re placed in — light, atmosphere, and pacing as much as design. That understanding has stayed with me and continues to inform how I approach my work.”
Lukas Mauve: What was your role within Margaret Howell’s menswear team?
