If fashion in the modern day was held to a high standard in terms of comfort and movability, the vast majority of what we know would not exist. We have accepted these terms, somewhat begrudgingly, believing it’s a sacrifice that must be made for high fashion. Saul Nash is one of the designers at the true avant-garde, possessing the radical courage to reject such a claim.
The UK-based designer is sought after by some of the industry's biggest – lululemon, for example – for his unique ability to marry incredible art with real functionality. The result is a collection of striking, clean cuts, in velour, nylon, cotton, latex, spandex, and more. Saul Nash, an eponymous brand, rejects the notion of category – though it is made for movement, it is not athleisure, per se, it is far too haute-mode for that. His Spring/Summer 2026 collection explodes sportswear with tailoring and military wear. This is something between, or, if you will, kilometres ahead. And we have the pleasure of being joined by its mastermind here today.
Most recent photo in your camera roll?
A photo of me on a Paris train.
Last note you took?
A to-do list.
Favourite pair of shoes right now?
My Mizuno Wave Prophecy.
Saul Nash is an eponymous brand. It is now a very successful brand – available for purchase on all of the biggest purveyors of luxury fashion (SSENSE, Net-a-Porter, Farfetch, etc.) – but Saul Nash is still your name, too. What is that experience like? Is it strange to have two totally different connotations associated with your name, the name people have been calling you your whole life, and what is now also the name attached to this global super brand?
It’s not so much strange but slightly surreal to have a brand named after you. I find it important to be able to separate the two within my personal life however, at the same time the brand is also a reflection of me and my interests.
Do you ever wish you had named the brand something else in order to preserve a degree of separation between yourself and it?
Not really. I’m at peace with the brand having my name. I think when I started, I more saw it as my practice rather than a brand per se. But with time, it evolved into a brand. So the ethos of a practice remains with a more commercial awareness.
Do you think that having your name attached to the brand makes everything you produce feel more personal? Like, if there is a piece you wouldn’t wear yourself, would you be hesitant to release it?
I’ve always felt that in order for me to tell others to wear my clothing, I’d have to believe in the pieces and want to wear them myself. Naturally, my work has always come from a personal place, but seen through a universal lens of people who are able to relate to its story.
I’m interested in your experience with machismo, dance and fashion. Antiquated gender ideals paint athleticism as a macho endeavour, whereas both fashion design and dance often attract women and queer men. As a male-identifying dancer and fashion designer, where and how have you encountered this phenomenon?
I’m very open-minded in how I see things. Sportswear made the most sense to me because of the role it played in shaping the men I grew up around and those who wear it. Where it became important to me is the technical study of performance — this idea that garments have to function for a purpose, but also look great visually.
You create athletic wear, to be worn on and off the dance floor, court, or field. So does Nike. And Under Armour. And under armour. And a whole slew of lower-end brands. We loved your collab with lululemon too. What distinguishes your higher-end pieces, which sell for easily five times the price? What do you think attracts people to Saul Nash?
Whilst my part of my work sits within the athletic space. It’s more nuanced than that. It embodies the codes of technical function and the study of refined fabrics and cutting in order to create clothing that enables the wearer to move. Within my own brand you’ll find shirting, tailoring, denim, and more technical pieces all built for function but designed and created in a way that elevates them to a high-quality and luxury space. The lululemon collection in particular created a great universe within the true activewear space merging performance and technical fabrics to make a collection that works for sport, but also contains beautiful pieces people simply want to wear.
Your pieces almost all feature a signature geometric paneling. Can you tell us about that?
I’ve always worked to cut seam lines that work with the flow of the body. Cutting is a huge part of my practice. I use it to highlight zones of the body. It’s also dictated by the kinetic nature of the garments, ensuring the cutting moves with the body’s natural flow.
While your pieces have this signature flair, they are quite discreet in terms of labelling, no big logos, minimal text. Some call this quiet luxury, I believe. Is it important to you that, while high-end, your pieces remain unflashy?
I think this reflects me and my relationship with status symbols. I want people to engage with my work for its design and how it makes them feel not for where the logo is. The logo of the brand is actually printed backwards, so that when the wearer looks in the mirror, they connect with the brand.
I’m curious about your recent foray into womenswear. How did this jump feel? Womenswear is a much more crowded industry than menswear. Were there new concerns you faced when creating womenswear that hadn’t come up before?
I think my designs operate on a spectrum, which enables anyone to find themselves within them. Before fashion, I was designing costumes for women. As a man, I’ve always tried not to prescribe how women should feel or look. I’ve focused instead on understanding their needs as a foundation for designing what I feel they could look great in.
Who are the closest women in your life? Did their existence, style, or input play any role in the development of your womenswear line?
I think it’s really dependent on context and also getting into the psyche of the customer you’re designing for. If we’re talking about womenswear solely within my own brand, the community surrounding it certainly comes into consideration. However, within collaborations, while your own community still matters, you also need to create a space for many to identify where they fit within the spectrum of the clothing.
Since becoming a notable player in the menswear fashion scene — from receiving the International Woolmark Prize in 2022 to the Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design the same year, presented to you by Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales — I imagine your immersion in the fashion world has deepened significantly. What has that been like? Do you identify with the fashion industry in the same way you identify with the dance world?
I think dance has always been my roots. I’ve been dancing since an early age. But it was in fashion that I was really able to collectively bring all of my interests together into one space. I think the two worlds are quite different, but when they collide, they come together to create something beautiful. After all, both fields are concerned with the body. While one uses clothes to communicate identity and a sense of belonging, the other uses the body dressed or undressed as a vehicle of expression. At their core, both have the ability to tell beautiful stories of self-expression.
Which cities are you interested in, fashion-wise? You hail from London, but which other fashion scenes have you been privy to, and which inspire you most?
I love travelling, I think it really gives me perspective when I come home to London, I really love Going to Paris and Milan and seeing a different point of view on the everyday men's wardrobe, I find across all the cities there are great similarities but also unique ways to express that are specific to the context and cultures.
Name your three greatest fashion icons.
This is difficult because there are so many incredible people who’ve shaped what we call fashion. But I have to mention Issey Miyake and the way his work pioneered movement in fashion. I also love Marc Newson’s product design and his almost solution driven approach to design in the most superb and aesthetically innovative way. And I have to mention my dear friend IB Kamara and his unique approach to storytelling.
What percent of the time would you say you wear Saul Nash? I read that you started using your mum’s sewing machine because there were things you wanted to wear that you couldn’t find, so you made them yourself. Do Saul Nash pieces still comprise the majority of your wardrobe?
I wear Saul Nash every day, to be honest. I occasionally wear Bianca Saunders too. I really love and admire her approach to cutting and her unique take on tailoring. I wear her vest quite often; I think it’s cut superbly.
