An Evening with Henry Holland and Vogue

Henry Holland has been a fixture on the British fashion scene since Gareth Pugh stepped out onto the catwalk wearing one of Henry's slogan t-shirts back in 2006. The phrase 'UHU Gareth Pugh' struck a chord with the press and of course, sparked ongoing jealously between other designers who all wanted to appear at their shows in these coveted t-shirts. Since then Henry Holland's career has sky rocketed with his label, House of Holland reaching international acclaim within the world of fashion.

Growing up in Ramsbottom near Manchester, Henry had decided by the age of 13 that he was to move to London and work in fashion. By the age of 17, he was completely immersed in the lively culture London provided and spent his time studying journalism, something which opened many doors for him in years to come. The idea of the slogan t-shirts came to him whilst he was working at Bliss magazine and he was soon picked up by Katie Grand who edited neighbouring fashion magazine, Pop. This period in Henry's career provided a shift in focus which allowed him to experiment with the fun, frivolous side of fashion and brought his work under the radar of pivotal members of the fashion industry such as Vogue's Sarah Mower. Her cutting review which asked "What happens when the joke's over?" caused Henry to think of a new device for his future collections thus resulting in the birth of his label, House of Holland.

Talking at the V&A last night with Vogue's online editor, Dolly Jones, Henry spoke of the highlights and challenges he faces in his career. "It is relentless! I do two shows a year and will be moving to four shows a year to cater for the resort and pre-fall collections." said Henry. "I get cold sweats just thinking about it but I am motivated by fun and I never dread going to work-I love what I do."

Henry is also known for his star studded circle of friends with whom he spends most of his time. Pixie Geldof, Agyness Deyn and Alexa Chung all form part of Henry's inner circle of friends. "We were friends before fashion" he explained whilst detailing exactly how he knows each girl... Agyness worked in a chip shop when she was 13, Pixie worked with Henry on a TV show called 'It's a Girl Thing' when she was 15 and Alexa was dating a photographer who shot a lot of the bands for Smash Hits magazine where Henry worked before he was a designer. "I love them for their drive and focus" he exclaims.

The future is set to look bright for the House of Holland as they begin to experiment further with fashion and film. Henry is also due to be appearing on our television screens soon in a new fashion programme on Sky Living, starring Henry's muse Nicola Roberts with Rihanna as the producer. With all this change however, will Henry have to sober up the frivolity of his collections? Henry doesn't think so..."We have been frivolous from the start so we can still get away with it. There is definitely a need to refine them and hone them into what we want to achieve but we are staying true to the original idea." This is certainly good news for House of Holland fans.

Here are some highlights from the evening:

What is your favourite piece of clothing you have ever designed?
I love the tartan blue wedding dress worn by Agyness Deyn for the AW08 collection. It even came with matching antlers!

Do you sew your collections yourself? Are you a hands on designer?

I cannot sew very well but I am heavily involved with the whole design process. My first collection was made from my bedroom with one over-locker with the help of a design intern who taught me how to cut patterns. 

You moved from Manchester to London to start your own business, is there anything you miss about Manchester?

Fish and Chips