SAUL NASH + INGRID DUDLEY, FRANÇOIS-XAVIER GOBY, TYLER SPENCER
MY MUM ALWAYS GAVE ME THE FREEDOM TO CHOOSE WHAT I WANTED TO WEAR
THE DESIGNER, CHOREOGRAPHER AND dancer Saul Nash’s favourite memories are of going shopping with his mother when he was a teen. ‘We’d go to Wood Green shopping mall, and I’d head straight to the store that sold American streetwear. I’d buy Rocawear tracksuits. Then I’d make friends with employees at trainer stores, so I’d receive discounts,’ he says, laughing at the memory. ‘My mum always gave me the freedom to choose what I wanted to wear.’ It came as no surprise, then, that Nash’s chosen career path, one which has earned him a Queen Elizabeth II Award and the 2022 Woolmark Prize, followed a creative route. ‘The beauty of taking him shopping from a young age was led by him always knowing what he wanted,’ says his mother, Ingrid, filled with pride. ‘When he was eight, he bartered with a shop owner and bought an outfit he didn’t have enough money for by promising he’d continue to shop there,’ she says, through laughter.
‘There’s an element of my work that’s inspired by the people I grew up around,’ Nash explains, gesturing towards the close-knit bunch huddled together on set. His immediate circle – thrilled to be shot alongside him – consists of his niece Tyler, his partner, French illustrator and director François-Xavier Goby (aka ‘Fx Goby’), and his mother.
Since the inception of his eponymous brand in 2018, the north-east Londoner has crafted a body of work that oscillates between fashion and dance. Challenging athleisure codes, his genderless pieces focus on functionality and movement with ease. Refined silhouettes in highstretch materials such as woollen knits, recycled polyester and organic cotton slot him into luxury sportswear territory. Now, at 30, his garments are worn by a host of famous names, ranging from Lewis Hamilton to J Hus, and The Royal College of Art menswear alum’s familial messaging has gained him worldwide recognition.
Family is still at the creative heart of his label, meaning that anyone wearing these pieces carries a part of Nash with them. Siblings, his AW23 collection, was inspired by his brother, while SS24 was an ode to his grandfather and Mauritian heritage. ‘My family and the people around me have always shaped the way I dress. As a designer, your work is an extension of the way that you perceive the world.’