MEDIA KITFALL 2008

Do You Know Howe?

When designer Jade Howe launched Hause of Howe in 2000, the brand was quickly recognized for its fresh West Coast perspective that put skinny jeans on the menswear map. Since then, Howe has evolved into a premium lifestyle brand for men who confidently embrace the freedom and adventure of expression through work and play. Widely known for sophisticated fits and distinctive detailing, Howe succinctly merges the spirit and attitude of the “indie executive” with the style and refinement of an English country gentleman. Mixing luxurious, progressive fabrications and blending the American streetwear vibe with European tailoring, each collection presents a variety of possibilities…and combines a little of the expected with the unexpected. Inspired by music and art, Howe continues to illustrate a sleek, innovative and authentic approach to men’s fashion culture. Speaking to those who know what they like and strive to find things that are different and exciting, Howe offers richly designed graphic tees, embroidered vests and soft denim, as well as double-cuffed wovens, outerwear and suits. And it doesn’t stop there. Recently added to upcoming collections: ultra-cool swim shorts and ties. A celebration of personal style and growth, Howe continues to set trends across the world.

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About Jade Howe

1. Why and how did you become a designer? I was trying to hook up with this beautiful girl. She invited me to an FIDM recruiting luncheon. All I heard was free chicken lunch. I was a starving surfer at the time. I signed up, she didn’t the rest is history.

2. When do you usually get the inspiration for your works? It’s a very ambiguous thing. Usually, when I’m away from work, traveling, hanging out with friends or family, I get perspective on all the ideas that are formulating in my mind. Once I get clarity, it’s on. If I get stuck, I go surfing and that usually gets me inspired.

3. Could you tell us the process of working on your pieces? I always work from a theme or a story line. I create a script and develop characters. Then I design their entire wardrobe and the lifestyle that surrounds the look. Some times it’s a fictisious rock band, or it can be loosely based on people whose style I admire. Of course there are overtones of my own personal style developed in each character.

4. What do you feel is important when you are working on your pieces? To have a very clear picture of what I’m trying to say. I try to design my collections with as few pieces as possible to tell the story. The more focused it is, the stronger the impact to both buyers and consumers.

5. What do you think about the current fashion trend? I don’t know much about the current trends. However I’m really happy that men are taking an interest in how they dress again. I try to stay one step ahead of our customer, and create the looks that they don’t know they want yet.

6. What do you do on your day off? What day off? I read the bible, surf, and spend time with my family

7. What do you think about LA? Like any city, it has its good and bad points. Good= Sun, sand, fun, plenty of shopping, entertainment, and great restaurants. Bad= traffic, crime, and everyone jockeying to be somebody. Everyone’s a VIP. It’s laughable.

8. What is your favorite cuisine? Could you tell us your favorite restaurants? Japanese food. Felix at the top of the peninsula hotel HK, Koi, Captain Jacks (best Alaskan king crab in the world)

About Jade Howe

9. Are there any people who inspired you? Who do you respect? Peter Murphy from Bauhaus is a good friend and inspires me. He’s the original English Country Gentleman.

10. Favorite word or phrase You can’t give what you do not have.

11. What is your goal? To become America’s next top menswear designer, while staying spiritually and physically balanced.

12. Any message? If you don’t stand for something you’ll fall for anything……

•hauseofhowe.com•

2000 - Former Quiksilver designer Jade Howe declares the trend of guys wearing baggy, wide-leg pants belted below the hips to be officially over. He becomes determined to help them add sophistication and style to their look with slimmer, tailored fits. “It seems like when the country supersized its fries, it supersized their clothes, “Jade Howe.

2001 - Jade Howe and skate legends Tony Hawk and Per Welinder of Blitz Distribution officially launch Howe, the first premium men’s sportswear collection to spring out of trend hot bed Orange County, CA.

2001 - Howe Launches “Do You Know Howe?” campaign.

2002 - Jade Howe first coins the term, “Cowboy-Punk meets English Country Gentleman” to describe the direction of his line, thus redefining the gentleman rocker look. ‘Tailored looks with a rock ‘n’ roll edge’ comes to America.

2002 - By combining alternative West Coast music influences with an English tailoring feel, Howe quickly garners media and specialty boutique acclaim, as well as a loyal following of fashion-forward consumers, musicians, artists, and celebrities.

“Howe is one of the most exciting men’s labels to emerge in the last five years...“ Karen Meena, Fred Segal

“Revolutionary young men’s line strikes at pure genius” MAGIC

magazine

2002 - Launches, “Howe – tailored denim – Deconstructed in America” campaign.

A Brief History of Howe

2003 - Sportswear International Magazine names Howe, “Best New Men’s Sportswear Collection.”

2003 - Jade Launches “Why Steal Her Jeans” campaign in response to the wave of guys coming into his studio wearing women’s boot-cut jeans in search of a more tailored fit. The Skinny Puppy jean is born.

“Mr. Howe was among the earliest to take men’s jeans and radically

lower the rise...” NY Times, April, 2004

2004 - Howe wins men’s magazine DNR ‘Editor’s Choice Award’ as “small young men’s line most likely to get big in a hurry.”

“Howe is the Ralph Lauren or Armani for the indie generation” Warner

Bros music executive

“Finally, a designer from the OC who realizes there is life beyond board

shorts.” Stuff Magazine

Novem ber 2004 - Howe opens luxurious‘Howe Homme’ lifestyle store and custom atelier concept where men receive one on-one styling and custom tailoring attention. Becomes a vital platform for Jade’s vision to help men hone in and define their personal style.

Februa ry 2005 - launches “Indie Executive” concept and full-fledged collection. Jade begins to refer to this business-meets-street professional as ‘indie executives - the artistically-minded entrepreneurial male - the Howe customer. The concept explodes in the media and Howe grabs hold of the cultural zeitgeist (once again).

“He’s the starving musician who became the high-powered executive, but doesn’t want to let go of his roots,” Jade Howe in Los Angeles Times Magazine, Sept. 2005.

“Imagine a cowboy punk rocker kidnapped and made over by a band of Savile Row clothiers.” Los Angeles Times Magazine Sept. 2005

“Designers as wide-ranging as Etro, Paul Smith and Jade Howe are experimenting with a sartorial sensibility best defined as Beau Brummel meets Johnny Rotten on the fashion runways this Fall.” Los Angeles Times Magazine Sept. 2005

March/ April 2005 - throws successful ‘Indie Executive’ launch events at the W Hotel in Los Angeles & New York. Packed with tastemakers, indie rockers, and celebrities.

May 20 05 - Jade Howe mentors students at Otis College of Art & Design. Jade’s students’ designs end up in the windows of Neiman Marcus, Beverly Hills. Other mentors include Bob Mackie and Vera Wang.

Novem ber 2005 - Jade Howe receives a Stuff Magazine Style Icon Award (along with Kanye West, Giorgio Armani, Kings of Leon & John Varvatos) in recognition of the cultural impact of the ‘Howe’ look and lifestyle.

Februa ry 2006 - The company is renamed, “Hause of Howe” in reaction to the formal European couture houses and to reflect the significantly expanded collection. “Hause of Howe is about glamour and trash combined with beautifully fitting cuts,” says Davey Havok, lead singer of AFI. Howe becomes one of several soon-to-be developed projects under the ‘Hause of Howe’ lifestyle umbrella.

February 2006 – Creates custom suits for Linkin Park front man Chester Bennington to wear to the Grammys and Peter Murphy of Bauhaus

for his recent tour. Bennington wears it on stage during performance with Jay-Z and Paul McCartney. “We did suits for Linkin Park for the Grammys and Chester said he never wanted to dress down again, “ Jade Howe from ‘Fashion Rocks.’

Octobe r 2006 - The dream comes true. Jade Howe announces sale and partnership of the Howe brand to Seattle Pacific Industries, Inc (SPI). SPI to infuse capital for global expansion, new designer collections, maintain Howe’s impeccable distribution, and fuel the opening of Howe Homme stores.

April 2 007 - Hause of Howe launches, The Fugitive Collection – On The Run. A secret creative society that is building a subversive lifestyle and communicating through the use of Clothing, Art, Music, and Technology. The story, mystery, and intrigue unfold.

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•hauseofhowe.com•

MOODS OF ROCK

FALL/HOLIDAY 2008

INDIE • CLASSIC • LUXE

HAUSE OF HOWE INTRODUCES THE MOODS OF ROCK:CLASSIC, INDIE AND LUXE COLLECTIONS FOR FALL ‘08

Featuring Rich Fabrications, Distinct Styling, and Classically Tailored Silhouettes, Howe’s Newest Collections are Inspired by and Designed for Guys Who Appreciate an Understated West Coast Style

WHO: Hause of Howe (www.hauseofhowe.com), the leading contemporary menswear brand known for its “Cowboy Punk meets English Country Gentleman” style, is upping the ante this season with the introduction of The Moods of Rock, a collection comprised of three groups: Classic, Indie and Luxe. Reflecting Jade Howe’s attention to the finest details and love of fine fabrics, the Classic, Indie and Luxe collections capture the brand’s signature tailoring and punk rock edge, while incorporating new cuts, innovative fabrics and focused color stories.

WHAT: Howe’s Classic, Indie and Luxe collections represent a perfect mix of urban attitude and environmental consciousness; confident style and unexpected details.

Each group has its own distinctive voice:

THE CLASSIC GUY

• Streetwise and socially responsible

• Well read and outgoing • More interested in his reputation

than a big corporate paycheck • In his iPod: Led Zeppelin, Johnny

Cash, Wolf Mother, ACDC, Joy Division, Motley Crue, Neil Young, Cake, Run DMC, Beastie Boys, Sly and the Family Stone

• Works as a musician, DJ or technophile

Key Trends and Influences • Stylized cuts and soft fabrics• Acid washed corduroy• Washed leather • Denim suiting – 5 pocket jean,

vest and jacket • Archetypal English Country Gent• Vintage inspiration with an easy

rock and roll style

Subtle Details• Signature Double cuffs • Small, hidden stories inside the

garments • Strong graphic embellishments

Color Story• Fade to Black • Antique white • Canteen • Stagehand brown • Death Valley • Deep purple • Roseline • Gold Record • Road Rash • Floral patterns,

timeless plaids, classic chambray

THE INDIE EXECUTIVE

• Refined taste -- penchant for luxury • Well traveled • Aesthetically driven with an easy style • Lives in an Urban landscape (Los

Angeles, Prague, Osaka, and London are his playgrounds)

• In his iPod: Souxie, Bauhaus, The Cult, Yellowcard, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Dandy Warhols, Lords of Acid, Henry Rollins

• Works in Film, Music, Photography, Journalism

Key Trends and Influences • Clean lines and simple washes• Skinny, tailored cuts • Synthetic fabrics • Punk rock politics • Industrial undertones

Subtle Details• Lurex thread• Coated denim • Iconic hardware; zippers and

buttons

Color Story• Paint it black • Antique white • Cold Blood • Platinum Album• Polka dots and Stripes

THE LUXE GENTLEMAN

• City slicker with a bohemian side• A jet-setter who has “made it”:

Monte Carlo, Cannes, New York, Tokyo, Prague, and the Italian Rivera are his stomping grounds

• A night owl, always on the move… VIP at the latest hot spots

• Only buys the best of everything• In his iPod: Everything from

Interpol and The White Stripes to Rare Quincy Jones

• He is a power executive

Key Trends and Influences • Polished jackets and outwear • Super-premium swim trunks• High-end European fabrications • Sexy Suits • The red carpet

Subtle Details• Double-layer trimming • Lurex thread • Clean finishes

Color Story• Black• Antique white• Ash Grey • Deep Purple • Port Royal

MOODS OF ROCK LOOKS

Peter Murphy - Bauhaus, Chester Bennington - Linkin Park, Tommy Lee - Rockstar SupernovaDavey Havok - AFI, Marilyn Manson, Daddy Yankee, Munky - KORN, Richie Sambora

• Smashing Pumpkins• Radiohead• HBO’s Entourage• Beck

• American Idol• Weezer• Coldplay• Bon Jovi

• Gilby Clark• All American Rejects• Orgy• The Mars Volta

• Jack Black• Eighteen Visions• The Rock• Queens of the Stoneage

WHO’S WEARING HOWE