NABIL NAYAL

Nabil Nayal was born in Syria and moved to England at the age of 14. He went on to win many prestigious awards including the Royal Society of Arts Award, the Graduate Fashion Week 'Best Womenswear' Award and the British Fashion Council MA Scholarship Award; enabling him to study at the Royal College of Art.

Nabil’s obsession with Elizabethan craftsmanship has deeply informed his practice; seen through his use of pleats, dramatic construction, menswear references and powerful silhouettes. Whilst his in-depth archival research remains at the heart of the brand, Nabil also conducts extensive research into ways in which historic techniques can be re-contextualised, using the latest technologies. He was the first fashion designer in the world to use 3D printing in June 2010 and is currently undertaking a research doctorate.

In February 2015 Nabil was shortlisted for the prestigious LVMH Prize and invited to show at Paris Fashion Week. Here, Nabil’s utter devotion to his craft was applauded by luminaries such as Sarah Mower, Delphine Arnault, Nicolas Ghesquiere, and Karl Lagerfeld, who upon seeing the collection exclaimed “I love it! I love it! I love it!” and bought, what has since become affectionately named ‘The Karl Shirt’, for his collaborator Amanda Harlech. In February 2016, Lagerfeld continued to show his support for the brand, photographing Jerry Hall in Nabil's pieces as part of V Magazine’s V100 issue. 

In July 2016 the National Museum of Scotland revealed a collaboration with Nabil Nayal, featuring two pieces from the SS16 collection alongside a host of iconic designers to form part of a new permanent exhibition dedicated to international fashion and textiles.

Nabil was an LVMH Prize finalist in June 2017 and was invited to present his work at the Louis Vuitton Foundation in Paris. Stars of the design world, including Maria Grazia Chiuri and Phoebe Philo fell in love with Nabil’s work, as did guest of honour, pop superstar Rihanna.

In September 2017 Nabil designed an exclusive piece for Lorde’s Melodrama world tour.