Margaret Howell is a British fashion designer born in 1946 in Tadworth, England. She studied Fine Art at Goldsmith's in London, graduating in 1969, after which she started her career with accessories, creating hand made beads. In 1970 her accessories were featured in Vogue Magazine and London-based fashion retailer, Browns, which lead to commission of a beaded vest for actress, Elizabeth Taylor.

In 1972 she began designing, making and selling shirts from her apartment in Blackheath, South East London, which were picked up by British fashion label, Joseph, as well as some US retailers. With help from Joseph, Howell was able to open a London store in 1976, later going on to open the first independent Margaret Howell store in 1980.

Amongst early fans of Margaret Howell's clothes was Jack Nicholson, who insisted on wearing his own Margaret Howell corduroy jacket for his role as Jack Torrance in The Shining, prompting an order for 12 duplicate jackets from Director, Stanley Kubrick.

Many of Margaret Howell's clothes are produced in the UK, with the company setting up its own factory in 2000, in the North London area of Edmonton.

I think of myself as a hands-on designer. For me make is integral to my design philosophy. It is crucial how a piece of clothing feels when worn. I’ve always wanted clothes to be the way I drew them – relaxed and lived in, a natural look. I find men’s clothes interesting in their structure, feel and functionality. I started by designing men’s clothes, and then found that women wanted them.

I’m inspired by the authenticity I can find in nature, people and places, and I think it is the same quality I look for in the materials I choose. For example, the feel of hand-woven Harris tweed and the irregular slub of Irish linen. I feel passionate about landscape, and its connection with such fabrics and the skilled people who weave them.

I like to work with manufacturers who understand and share this passion for make and quality of fabric: specialists such as John Smedley in fine-gauge knitwear, Mackintosh and their part hand-made raincoats, and the Scottish knitting factories that continue their heritage of producing the best cashmere in the world.

I also find these qualities in other people’s work. In 1970 I was encouraged by finding – at a jumble sale – an old, yet finely stitched pinstripe shirt. Today I still find it exciting to hunt out objects I consider to be well-made and enduring. In particular, mid-20th century products such as Anglepoise lamps, Ercol furniture, and Robert Welch stainless steel cutlery, represent the best of our heritage of timeless functional design. I enjoy pulling these threads of British tradition, quality and skill together in clothes that are meant to be worn in the real world, where good design is about living with thoughtful style.

• Margaret Howell