Saul Nash Treks To Iceland For New Fashion Film

What’s the difference between Icelandic and East London street style? With the rise in the popularity of skiwear in our nation’s capital, designer Saul Nash thinks the difference is minuscule. It’s this mirroring of sartorial choices that inspired his A/W 23 campaign which was shot on location in Katla and the streets of East London. Directed by longtime collaborator Fx Goby, Juxtaposition explores the tensions between opulent chalet style and the grit that defines East London’s urban landscape.

Coinciding with the retail release of Nash’s A/W 23 collection yesterday, the accompanying fashion film showcases the transformative qualities that define his latest offering. The film follows a group of men in Hoxton wearing four key pieces from the collection including a Merino wool tracksuit fitted with performance-inspired mesh panels which have become a signature in Nash’s work. It’s paired with a Merino jumper created using an innovative double-faced knitted jacquard, and a lightweight gilet with removable sleeves. Rounding off the chalet-inspired designs is a seamless compression top of Merino and elastane that serves as the perfect versatile layering piece.

‘It’s as if something’s calling him. He gives in and leans into it. He transports himself into an alternate space’, Nash explains. ‘This is about escapism. Looking at the streets, where ski garments are worn, and then looking at the true context of where they were designed to be worn’.

Contrasting the concrete landscape of London, the film jumps to the sublime scenes of Katla. A dancer showcases the movement of the garments with a performance on a fjord, choreographed by Nash himself. ‘I like that Saul’s work is anchored in his lived experiences. Here, it’s about the idea of living by proxy: imitating a lavish lifestyle of ‘going to the ski resort’ without having been to one. It’s about someone liberating themselves, a theme we could explore in a million different ways,' says Goby.

The collection came together through the designer’s continued partnership with the Woolmark Company, of which Nash won the International Woolmark Prize in 2022. Beyond the technical aspects that define Nash's work, the collection was created in a colour palette that mirror's Iceland's alpine views with blues, greens, and creams.

Saul Nash A/W 23 is available now on saulnash.com.