Saul Nash’s research for this collection started with male pin-up illustrations from the 1950s, focusing particularly on sportsmen. “That led into looking at sports uniforms, and I guess in a way sports heroes are pin-ups,” he said. The result was a collection whose sportiness was tangibly sensualized—with a particular emphasis on the all-in-one wrestling singlet, designed to minimize an opponent’s capacity to grip—but in which it was the wearer more than the spectator who shaped the rules of play.
That idea was expressed through garments that could be opened, closed, tightened and layered according to the wearer’s discretion. Nash described “a lot of two-way zippers on the clothes,” adding: “It’s up to you if you want to reveal the skin or put it away.” This was visible in his sartorial fabric zip-front hoodies, sheer compression layers, technical vests and second-skin tops whose anatomical lines referred both to sport and corsetry. “The key for me was not to over-sexualize the silhouettes,” he said.
Gathered backs, elasticated waists and curved volumes allowed Nash to bring fresh movement into familiar shapes. The clothes had technical adjustments to make jackets and trousers sit away from the body. Denim was treated as active clothing as much as workwear. Pale and dark jeans, zip-front denim jackets, hooded shirts and loose five-pocket trousers were cut with volume through the leg.
The singlet appeared as a garment, but also as a frame of reference whose outline was traced across the torso. It was manifested through panels, sheer overlays, embroidery and graphic body mapping. In hooded cotton oxford shirting, the shape was mapped in embroidered ventilation holes.
This collection also featured the latest chapter of SLNSH, the designer’s excellent collaboration with lululemon. It featured printed jersey pieces surfaced with blurred, shadowed and halftone effects that were designed to appear sun-marked rather than conventionally patterned. “When the sun reflects off objects, you get these beautiful shadows,” observed Nash. His latest grapple with the space between sports, movement, and sensuality was a gripping watch.