Howard's Paris

Creation

I am Frederic Costa and I am 40 years old.

Welcome to my world.

I created Howard's about 20 years ago when I inherited the family shop, rue d'Amsterdam, in central Paris. But at that moment, I didn't start in the world of the shirt and tie. I was barely 16 when I started my very first job at BMW.

I think that the way of working and my love of research and development come from the automotive industry. After two years at BMW as a blue collar, I was contacted by Ferrari and it was at that time that my passion for shirts and ties started.

Why?

At that time, I didn't have a shirt and tie to match for an interview. Within the French market, it was very complicated to find quality shirts and ties. The ties of the other candidates did not touch me either. I told myself, at that very moment "I therefore have to make them myself".

That's how my adventure started.

I started by making some tie prototypes in my bedroom and selling them. I started by importing a large sewing machine from the United States.

My parents were going crazy because I was sewing my ties from 11pm to 1am. She made the floor of our apartment tremble. After my nocturnal (and noisy) confections, I offered my ties in salons, and sold them in shirt shops.

When I inherited my parents' shop, I decided, without thinking, to get into the shirt industry and go even further in the development of my ties collection. BMW has brought me a lot of precision, awareness, thoroughness and I have used it since the beginning of my career.

My dream, when I was 20, was to work with the best weavers. I was so frustrated that I couldn't find any quality on the market that I started looking for them and offered them to work with me. After several trips to Europe, I finally got to meet them.

Howard's has grown. I decided not to expand to have control over the product from A to Z.

Today, I have the chance to benefit from 2 colleagues who help me to develop it. It is as a team that we work. It allows me to have more time for myself to think about my creations. Quentin is in charge of the shop, Clémence of the website. When I'm not with them, I create the collections and take time to meet you.

Mission

Find the shirt in which you feel comfortable.

A doubt? Trust us, we take care of everything.

I control everything. From choosing my fabrics in the showroom to selling finished shirts and ties.

It is therefore not difficult for me to be with you. Whether it is from distance or directly in store, you will be referred. And again, I am not alone. We are a small team of passionates who take to heart your requests and care of solving your problems. Our mission to simplify your choices and help you find the piece that look like you : the most important thing being that you do not have to ask yourself questions and that the choice is simply made !

We want you to feel good, both in the esthetism and in the wear of your shirt.

My mission begins with my collections : the offer in ready-to-wear is wide. But I didn't stop there. I have also developed a tailor-made offer of shirts for those who want to start on another wonderful adventure.

Finally, my mission is that you take a step forward and that you acquire a shirt to your cut and size.

Be reassured regarding the quality of the fabrics. I am particularly focused on the choice of the fabrics with the best hold and resistance. Regarding the making of my shirts, I choose the best in terms of technics and stitchings. I ask for an extreme precision from my seamstresses.

Trust and transparency

The trust you give me is essential. Thanks to your confidence, I have always had the will to develop my collections and innovate the fabrics that I buy and the stitchings that I choose. This development is therefore due to my positioning related to the creativity, to the style defined in my different core professions (shirts, ties, accessories) and in the skills which are based on a craft man ship work.

Our entrepreneurial strength is mainly based on our long-term strategy relied on the total control of our capacities of production, to the transmission of our know-how and values, to the quality of our fabrics and the excellence of our stitchings.

Our challenges ? Keep our singularity while keeping the values of a company at human size, proud and loyal to a craft know-how. We are transparent on the origin and the authenticity of our fabrics. We especially want to strengthen the relationship we have created with our customers since 20 years by explaining all the production and creation process.

Passion

Passion is what made me want to start this adventure. The lack of beautiful products, especially in the shirt and tie industries, at that time, pushed me to make collections, created on a particularly in-depth search for fabrics and a excellence of stitchings that could be defined as "sartorial". And I am not alone in making my collections : I tell you everything, from the quality to the origins of the fabrics. Every day I therefore make you involved in my decisions and ask for advice.