When the Princess of Wales handed Patrick McDowell the Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design in May earlier this year, it wasn’t just a royal handshake but a public recognition of the young Liverpool-born designer rewriting the rules of luxury.
At London Fashion Week, McDowell proved why, turning deadstock lace, surplus brocade and family memories into The Lancashire Rose – a title acting as a double tribute to McDowell’s northern roots: the historic red rose of Lancashire and to their grandmother, whose sewing inspired their traditional yet ingenious designs.
