SAUL NASH
“MASQUERADE”
AW 2026
Introducing Masquerade, Saul Nash’s autumn/winter 2026 collection, an exploration into how clothes can be used as a tool to transcend and shape identity.
This season, the British-Caribbean designer researched into the art of masquerade, kickstarted after attending Notting Hill Carnival in summer, where vibrant costumes find their origins in mimicry ceremonies. This thread of performance, concealment and self-expression would lead Nash to exploreVenetian masquerade, where masks were worn to both transform and disguise the wearer.
Such traditions led Nash to think about the idea of masquerade through the lens of growing up in London. Here, the designer establishes a new kind of power dressing: the interplay between the formality of tailoring and the ease of casual wear, where a garment can be a vehicle to express one’s multiple selves.
“I wanted to create a collection that empowers the wearer. These are clothes that can act as a form of masquerade in your own life; a medium to embody who you want to be,” says Saul Nash.
It begins with the tracksuit. Nodding to the brand’s sportswear origins as well as Nash’s de facto uniform since childhood, here a technical tracksuit is printed with the silhouette of a suit. A pastiche of smart dressing, the look relates to Nash feeling too casually dressed to attend various events due to his sports wardrobe. This is a way to fit in, but at the same time, staying true to who you are,” he says.
Codes lifted from 1980s British and Italian power tailoring are recontextualised throughout. Suit jackets come with built-in hoods and detachable sleeves. Shirts are traced with horizontal and vertical lines, inspired by the costume that appears in Ben Magid Rabinovitch’s photograph Tamaris in “Dirge” (1931). Crafted from stretch cotton, they evolve Nash’s kinetic movement philosophy from sportswear into sophisticated territory.
Wall Street suits lend their shape to an all-in-one pinstriped jumpsuit, crafted from merino stretch wool, which accelerates the brand’s exploration into formal wear, as seen in recent seasons. Cut wide and warped on the body, in motion, they mimic the movement of masquerade costumes.
This toying of proportion extends into the brand’s most versatile outerwear offering to date. The collection includes military-inspired drill jackets with transformable collars that can be worn three different ways, cropped trench coats crafted using Nash’s kinetic cutting technique and padded jackets with elongated ribbed knit sleeves and exaggerated hemlines, which are ultra-lightweight thanks to their PRIMALOFT® Gold insulation.
In a palette of greens, navys and earthy browns, the collection is a symphony of textures – where the silky sheen of utility trousers (cut from Viscose LENZINGTM) can be paired with crinkled recycled nylon zip-ups, or furry mohair blazers and nipple-exposing cardigans that come in a mix of alpaca and merino wool.
Reflecting on the “masks” we wear day-to-day, this season allows the wearer to masquerade as someone entirely different. Compression tops, printed with a hazy body motif, are equipped with a funnel neck that, when donned, appears as if you’re wearing the silhouette of another person. A similar technique is applied to an overdyed, raw denim twinset, which is lasered with a chiselled physique kissed by waves of fabric. The look nods to ancient statues of the male form.
The collection is anchored by Saul Nash’s debut footwear creation, the Julien Boot. The high-top sports shoe is built with a mesh upper and a leather base, accented with a velcro fastening and a gum sole that is broken to allow for ample movement.
Saul Nash also previews the SLNSH Spring 2026 collection, a multi-season collaboration with lululemon, which blends Nash’s key design approach with the global apparel company’s technical innovation to blur the lines between performance and lifestyle. During the show, Nash unveils select men’s and women’s looks from the upcoming collection, which draws inspiration from nature’s return. Key SLNSH Spring 2026 looks include: a reimagining of lululemon’s Define transformable Jacket, organic cotton barrel trousers, elevated crossbody bags, and a Dual- Length transformable seam-taped waterproof jacket. The SLNSH Spring 2026 collection is the fourth in the collaboration between Saul Nash and lululemon and will be available on lululemon.com and in lululemon stores across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and China on April 14, 2026.
Creative Direction: Saul Nash
Art Direction: FX Goby
Studio & Creative Team: Charlie Catlow, Chiara Giuliano
Words: Paul Toner
Show Production: AW+C Studio
In-House Communications: Lewis Scorey
Show Management & Communications: PURPLE
Studio Assistants: Belen Valasco, Larry Roszyski, Izzy Woodward, Emily Altuve Ortiz Styling: Reuben Esser
Brand Consultant: Elgar Johnson
Casting: Troy Fearn
Principal Brand Show Partner: lululemon featuring SLNSH
Hair by Richard Phillipart
Make-Up: Mandy Gakhal for AOFMPro using Dermalogica
FOH Photography: Ik Aldama
Live Stream: Tim Chung
BTS Photographer: Maxime De Sadeleer
Music: Azekel
Shoes: Manolo Blahnik
Eyewear: Cubitts
Scent: Penhaligon’s
Socks: London Sock Company
