Saul Nash builds his work through movement, using the body as both starting point and testing ground. Raised in North East London, he draws from a layered cultural background and early experience in dance to shape a design language that moves between performance and technical menswear. Since launching his label in 2018, Nash has focused on garments that respond to motion, resisting fixed ideas of sportswear while opening space for fluid expression and identity.
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In this conversation for DSCENE, Editor-in-Chief Zarko Davinic speaks with Nash about the relationship between movement and construction, the role of personal narrative in shaping a brand, and the pressures of building an independent label today. The discussion moves through his education at Central Saint Martins and the Royal College of Art, his approach to performance as presentation, and the balance between creative control and growth in a system that demands constant output.
You were raised in North East London, with a multicultural background that includes Guyanese, Barbadian, Indo-Mauritian, and English heritage. What parts of that upbringing still sit inside the brand today, visually, emotionally, and culturally? – I think all of that has really shaped me, and my work reflects the experience of navigating these identities within Europe. My work has always been linked to identity, looking at my own experiences while also expanding outward to others who resonate with what we create. I can only tell my story, and the brand has provided a space for me to do that.
I can only tell my story, and the brand has provided a space for me to do that.
Before fashion, movement came first. When did you realise dance was not just an influence, but the actual design logic behind your clothes? – It stemmed from my own interest in clothing and how I wanted to feel when wearing it. I have always been interested in clothes and how they move, but venturing into design gave me the space to explore this deeper through cut and fabrication.
You studied at Central Saint Martins and then completed an MA in Menswear at the Royal College of Art. What did each institution give you, and what did you have to unlearn to build a label that feels this personal? – I think I have always been someone who overthinks everything. Central Saint Martins taught me the concepts of world building and storytelling, while the Royal College of Art gave me the space to authentically be myself, and to explore how that could manifest through design and craftsmanship. Because RCA was a Master’s, I began with the rationale of bringing together fashion and performance, but it was through that time of exploration that I truly understood what that meant for me.
Being clear on what I want to say has to come first.
The brand launched in 2018 and quickly became known for technical menswear that refuses traditional athleisure codes. What was the earliest piece or collection where you felt, this is the language, this is Saul Nash? – I would say it was during Fashion East. My early work with zips was really about creating space for liberation within clothing. The hours of investigation, trial and testing that went into those earlier collections really set the blueprint for what our collections are today.
Your work often sits between sportswear and tailoring, with garments engineered for real movement. When you are designing, what comes first, the function, the silhouette, or the story you want the body to tell? – I would say it is a combination of all of those things. Being clear on what I want to say has to come first. That then stimulates the ideas that follow, and becomes a vehicle through which movement and function can be expressed. I also think material is everything. The haptic feel of fabric really helps me visualise how I want a garment to move.
As a queer man, I have always wanted to create work that encourages all forms of expression.
You have consistently made space for queer expression in your work, and your Milan Spring Summer 2026 show felt especially focused on the relationship between gay men, the stereotypes placed on them, and that specific feeling of loneliness that can exist underneath visibility. What did you want the audience to understand in that moment, and how did you translate that emotional tension into clothes and movement? – I think my work has always provided a spectrum within which the people who wear it can find themselves. As a queer man, I have always wanted to create work that encourages all forms of expression. In Spring 2026, the collection really looked at the tensions and ambiguity within embrace, the tension between the platonic and the romantic.
Just like at the Milan show, your presentations frequently use performance and choreography rather than a conventional catwalk. What does performance allow you to communicate that a standard runway format cannot? – The clothing is designed and created for movement, and I think it is important to reflect that in how the work is communicated. Performance becomes essential in showing the way the clothing is envisioned to be worn.
Material is everything. The haptic feel of fabric really helps me visualise how I want a garment to move.
You have received major recognition, including the International Woolmark Prize and the Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design. How did that level of visibility change your day to day life as a designer and as a person? – I think I am learning the importance of celebrating every victory. The great thing about those prizes was that they provided a platform and the space for me to further develop my practice, which was incredible for me. In terms of pressure, I have always thought it important not to let it get the best of me, because I think it is important to stay authentic in my work and make the best decisions without feeling pressure to do things for others.
Shifting to the business side, you are building an independent UK label in a market that can be unforgiving. Where does the pressure show up most: financing, production, retail demands, or the constant need to deliver something “new”? – I think business is constantly evolving. As old opportunities close, new ones begin to form, so I really believe that to run a business you have to be adaptable. Business is all about trial and testing, some things work and others do not. I have found that the way we have adapted to that has enabled us to keep moving forward. I am super grateful to be doing something I want to do with my life.
It sounds easier said than done, but for me my peace is non negotiable.
When pressure peaks through deadlines, budgets, expectations, and public scrutiny, what are your non negotiables, creatively and ethically, and what have you learned about protecting them while continuing to grow the brand? – It is important to stay calm. It sounds easier said than done, but for me my peace is non negotiable, so I encourage myself and my team to stay calm and methodically work through things instead of panicking, because fashion is hard enough without added stress. I also have to be able to go out and be inspired, so I try to carve out time for that. Without inspiration and experience, our work means nothing.
