Michael Howells

Set Designer

Michael Howells (b.1957-d.2018) was an acclaimed production designer, art director and set designer, credited with realising some of the most spectacular and ambitious projects across film, theatre and fashion.

Closely aligned with many of the highest-profile creative practitioners, Howells designed numerous sets for John Galliano at Dior, John Galliano, Alexander McQueen, Jean Paul Gaultier and Christian Lacroix. Creative relationships with photographers including Tim Walker, Mario Testino, Patrick Demarchelier and a particularly longstanding collaboration with Nick Knight, saw Howells realise sets for major advertising campaigns, including for Louis Vuitton and Christian Dior.

Howells is equally acclaimed for his work in the performing arts. His career in film boasts production design for titles including Bright Young Things (2003), Shackleton (2002), Emma (1996) and the ITV series Victoria (2016-17). The cinematic quality of his work led to an assistant art director job on Peter Greenaway’s 1989 film The Cook, the Thief, His Wife and Her Lover, and art direction for Sally Potter’s Orlando (1992).

Howells' theatre design credits include MSM/DV8 Physical Theatre at The Royal Court, Towards Poetry for The Royal Ballet, Derdemon for the Statsoper, Berlin, Julius Tomb for Mark Baldwin Company, Constant Speed celebrating Einstein's Centenary and Lady Into Fox for Ballet Rambert.

His tableaux aesthetic led to an array of additional projects ranging from producing Kate Moss' 30th birthday titled The Beautiful & The Damned to designing a strand of the interior of Dover Street Market and Gwen Stefani's 'Love. Angel. Music. Baby' video. Exhibitions included Ferragamo's Cinderella (1998) at the Florence Biennale and Hats: An Anthology by Stephen Jones at the V&A (2009).

In 2007 Howells won the Prix d'Excellence de la Mode in Paris and the first Isabella Blow award for Fashion Creator of the Year from the British Fashion Council. Howells was the creative director of the arts festival Port Eliot for a decade until its closure in 2017.

Michael Howells (b.1957-d.2018) was an acclaimed production designer, art director and set designer, credited with realising some of the most spectacular and ambitious projects across film, theatre and fashion.

Closely aligned with many of the highest-profile creative practitioners, Howells designed numerous sets for John Galliano at Dior, John Galliano, Alexander McQueen, Jean Paul Gaultier and Christian Lacroix. Creative relationships with photographers including Tim Walker, Mario Testino, Patrick Demarchelier and a particularly longstanding collaboration with Nick Knight, saw Howells realise sets for major advertising campaigns, including for Louis Vuitton and Christian Dior.

Howells is equally acclaimed for his work in the performing arts. His career in film boasts production design for titles including Bright Young Things (2003), Shackleton (2002), Emma (1996) and the ITV series Victoria (2016-17). The cinematic quality of his work led to an assistant art director job on Peter Greenaway’s 1989 film The Cook, the Thief, His Wife and Her Lover, and art direction for Sally Potter’s Orlando (1992).

Howells' theatre design credits include MSM/DV8 Physical Theatre at The Royal Court, Towards Poetry for The Royal Ballet, Derdemon for the Statsoper, Berlin, Julius Tomb for Mark Baldwin Company, Constant Speed celebrating Einstein's Centenary and Lady Into Fox for Ballet Rambert.

His tableaux aesthetic led to an array of additional projects ranging from producing Kate Moss' 30th birthday titled The Beautiful & The Damned to designing a strand of the interior of Dover Street Market and Gwen Stefani's 'Love. Angel. Music. Baby' video. Exhibitions included Ferragamo's Cinderella (1998) at the Florence Biennale and Hats: An Anthology by Stephen Jones at the V&A (2009).

In 2007 Howells won the Prix d'Excellence de la Mode in Paris and the first Isabella Blow award for Fashion Creator of the Year from the British Fashion Council. Howells was the creative director of the arts festival Port Eliot for a decade until its closure in 2017.

Related content
Type
Back to top