Sportswear as liberation: interview with Saul Nash International Woolmark Prize winner talks about himself and his world

«My mission has always been to create garments cut and designed for movement», says Saul Nash,  fresh of his victory of the International Woolmark Prize 2022. «An extension of this is to look at Sportswear within the context of society and challenge preconceived notions around those who wear them». No small task, but one that Nash is prepared to tackle both professionally and personally: professionally because Nash's recent past is in choreography and dance, and personally because sportswear played a very important role in his adolescent years. «In school, trainers and sportswear were massive and I specifically remember all of the trends which were coming up around me whilst I was growing up», expains Nash. «These moments and memories are essential to the stories that I tell because they remind me of where I come from and helps ground my vision in terms of where I am going». A future that is not just an imaginary backdrop but a concrete possibility to be explored through technical innovation. As we said, Nash is a choreographer and therefore his understanding of the ways in which the human body can move provides him with an insight that is the very fuel of his creative process.

Highlighting the complete fusion of the emotional-sentimental aspect of creativity with the technical one there is the word «essential», which Saul uses as much in describing the value of research as the importance of the stories he wants to tell. One would think that once he wins this award, the designer would want to run into the future - and in a way he does. « In these growing stages manufacturing can be a difficult, especially as we scale up. The Woolmark prize has been incredible in providing the partners to explore new opportunities with», says Nash. And yet, in a manner typical of the new generation of Millennial designers who are well aware of the critical aspects of a profession that often leaves no room for rest, they don't say they want to rush towards the future but rather to continue at a natural pace, healthy for their creativity: «I do believe taking time if beneficial. The need for constant change in fashion can sometimes cause designers to rush which can often cause us to explore new categories before we are ready to. So, when the time is right, I hope to be able to expand into shoes and accessories».