Well it’s not my specific scent! I don’t know if people would want to roll with that! But this is Frankincense, lots of wood cedarwood and sandalwood, because they’re my favourite scents. I actually did a collab with a Japanese incense maker last year. What things do you always have in your studio? What do you think is the most important quality for a designer to have today? So that’s what I’m also trying to highlight on multiple levels. Shabaka, he’s like a craftsman of the saxophone, this guy in Kyoto, he’s a craftsman of natural dyeing. So it’s all like a process of collaboration really?Įxactly. All the fabrics I work with have as much of my input as, say, working with Shabaka. The amount of time and energy I put into product and fabric is the same as when I work with another creative. For example, this season’s tie dye was all done in Kyoto, and it’s all naturally dyed - they hang it up and count the days! For the Spring 2020 collection, all the linens were bespoke made in Ireland by a mill out there. Developing something which lasts a lifetime.
I’m always trying to mix demographics together.Ĭraftsmanship is also really important. So that’s why it was nice to do the afterparty after the last show and bring everyone down musicians that have played in previous shows, people who haven’t been to a fashion show. With the shows I try to break down some of the fashion - I wouldn't say “barriers” - but the formalities. That’s why I try to have this sort of immersive experience at my shows, because fashion is a vehicle for my creative output, and I want to bring in as many people and influences as possible. I’d say community, especially with how I present my collections.
What would you say are the elements that make up the Nicholas Daley universe? So I guess it’s an amalgamation of all those things. All my uncles and my Dad were always very tailored suited and booted in polished Clarks shoes, trilbys and cravates.
That’s where my understanding of retail and products and brands started - in the stock room, putting trainers away.Īs for my family heritage, my mum was always knitting and being quite creative, and then on my dad’s side there was the West Indian culture. I did a foundation course at De Montfort university and I worked in a streetwear store in Leicester. Where did you grow up and how has your background influenced you and your work?