22nd February 2023

Saul Nash AW23 – London Fashion Week

Meg Parrott looks back at the new collection from LFW

According to Saul Nash, gone are the days of simply walking down a catwalk.  For him, liberal dancing and manoeuvring piles of ink black sand was much more befitting to the occasion.  As a choreographer as well as a designer, there seems no true style to him without fulfilling purpose.

Since 2018, Nash has been studiously examining the relationships between clothing and the moving body.  With his Saul Nash AW23 collection Juxtaposition, he further explored this narrative and adapted it to the melding of luxury menswear and skiwear. The story told of honed futuristic armours of alpine garb, prepped for urban cityscapes.  Although the cast pirouetted with little gravity, Juxtaposition confirmed Nash’s feet were firmly planted at the apex of London Fashion Week.  The 2022 NEWGEN recipient utilised “skiwear to push garment functionality,” with unisex casting assisting in this ongoing theme of hybridity.

In keeping with his reverse branding, the new collection was equally as conceptual.  The logo adorned windbreakers and contour detailed fleece jerseys boasted kinetic imprints.  Quilted slippers in collaboration with UGG were strengthened with Vibram soles and built to tackle the great urban outdoors.  Engineered trousers and recycled down-filled outerwear reaffirmed the label’s championing of creative pragmatism.  Armed with his trademark flair for pattern cutting, Nash seamlessly upgraded archetypal winter layers for a new day.

With similarly artistic strokes, magma orange paired with volcanic grey to bring heat to the proceedings.  Adjustable drawstrings and articulated seams were second nature to Nash’s his technical roots. Following his International Woolmark Prize win last year, merino wool was also crafted into the aesthetic, with ventilated panelling and compression knit shirts and leggings coming climbing ready.  When style or comfort may be hard to choose between, Nash reassured us that the uniform of the dancer can be that of the wayfarer too.

“That’s within me: the need for nature,” he says, in the show notes.  The result: some of this coming winter’s most desired second skins.

 

To read our review of the David Koma show from LFW, click here

Click here for more information on Saul Nash AW23

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