Two months on from Saul Nash’s boundary-breaking Fashion East show – which saw the London designer illustrate sportswear through dance – the capital’s emerging star is driving his brand forward despite the coronavirus pandemic. Quarantining in Stoke Newington with his partner, Nash is choreographing his way into the new season.
Read more: Saul Nash Is Rebooting The Fashion Show Format In The Most Brilliant Way
“I never stopped creating!” Nash – whose menswear is rooted in the movement clothing inspires – tells British Vogue over Zoom. “I have been analysing my last [autumn/winter 2020] collection, and considering which ideas I want to take forward. There’s always new ways to unveil my story.” While many young brands are at the mercy of shuttered suppliers and manufacturers, plus stockists who have pressed pause on orders for the time being, Nash was on the cusp of wholesale BC (before Covid-19). “I’m lucky in that sense,” he says. “I have now put a plan in place to keep my business going if a crisis should happen again.”
“I started my brand fresh from RCA [Royal College of Art], so I’m used to making the most of the materials around me,” he says of his openness to ideas. “My work is rooted in metamorphosis.” This fluidity stems from Nash’s background as a performer. During quarantine, he devotes his evenings and weekends to his passion for dancing, keeping his head down at the domestic machines transported from his studio during working hours.
At night, he moves in harmony with his friends via virtual platforms, and records his routines to document his journey as a dancer. Will we ever see his self-isolation shimmying? “There’s personal research and then there’s visuals for the public,” he says bashfully. Nash does promise that an autumn/winter 2020 film developing the combative themes he explored on the runway will come into fruition soon, however.
“Choreography helps bring a prototype to life for me,” he explains of the process behind his utility wear, which is inspired by memories of the people he grew up with. Nash is considering posting his hot-off-the-press pieces to members of his inner circle to gauge their reaction. “I want to know how they feel,” he says, pausing to reflect on how his own anxiety around coronavirus stems from select members of society not listening to government advice to stay at home.
“I have moments of, ‘What the hell?’” he says. “I think I’m still in a state of processing what is happening, because I never thought [a pandemic] would happen in my lifetime.” Fellow designer Bianca Saunders is a source of support for Nash within the industry, but he mostly relies on family to keep him grounded. “It’s important to find laughter together in these times,” he says. Reconnecting with his roots while spending hours cooking his Guyanese grandparents’ signature curries is proving meditative. “I have been reminded that it’s OK to slow down,” he says. “When there’s time to stop, we can reflect on who we really are.”
Read more: Richard Quinn On The Importance Of Keeping Calm & Carrying On
Nash might be taking time to walk, rather than run, but his dancing is as energising as it has always been. Stand by for what he does next.
More from British Vogue:
