SS27 Paris 'This is who we are'

Why a runway show now?
To see my crowd appreciate our 16 year journey and the brand’s provenance. To see the clothes move. I like the idea that it’s live and not just another static image. As we continue to grow, it’s important to show our clothes on a global stage.

How did you think about the styling?
Comfort. No tricks; nothing to distract from fabric or silhouette. I like clothes that are believable and fit for purpose, but that doesn’t mean they’re boring. I’ve always enjoyed those Martin Margiela for Hermès shows where everything looked comfortable.

Let’s talk trousers.
In many ways, we really are a pants brand. The Sorte [look 1] was the first men’s pant I designed, and it has never been out of stock; for the runway it’s cut in an elevated bonded gabardine. There is a new straight, gently curved unisex jean - Alwyn - in black or white Japanese denim with a sleek tailoring pocket. [looks 6, 10, 11, 13 and 16] For women, the Albany [looks 2, 12 and 26] is long and lean with a forward side seam in bonded gabardine, the Afton [look 5] features a precise panini crease, running into a fluid break. For men, a new suiting pant in Scottish heritage wool - Taunton [look 18] - is cut with a long rise, an 80s droopy fit and tapered leg, while the softly curved Cessna [look 8] that breaks into a taper is made in a washed weather cloth with utility details.

You have a new visual brand identity?
We most certainly do - it’s designed to reflect the fact we’re an established British brand. When I founded Studio Nicholson in 2010, my overarching ethos was set: to refine, update, and perfect the classics. As we move forward, I felt a deep desire to inject more of our identity into the logo while retaining that sense of purity I established at the start. I wanted it to feel robust and honest, unfussy and sophisticated. Our new typeface is a well-spaced slab serif - Antique No.6 by Paul Barnes, inspired by a British font that first appeared in the 19th Century!

What else is new, Nick?
We have worked super hard on expanding our shoes, bags and accessories offer. There is a focus on kitten heels
for women, including a kitten pump with an elongated rounded toe [Roxbury] while a new elevated-casual thong flip-flop in printed leather crocodile [Salem] and a rubber-soled espadrille [Canaan] in washed canvas with a leather trim are new for men. The key evolution in bags is a new grained leather backpack [Franklin]. I’d also say that outerwear is as always, a focus - a deliberately shrunken nappa leather jacket [Kendal], the [Ciaran] Fireman’s jacket in a double cotton weave with a délavé wash effect and two new developments with Mackintosh [looks 11, 13 and 19] are all unisex.