English designer Nigel Cabourn has a passion for vintage clothing, function and essential details. His menswear collections present high-quality reinterpretations of functional workwear based on historic examples, expedition or army clothing. As well as a remake of his legendary Everest Parka, Cabourn is presenting in his collection special collaborations such as bags by Brady Bags and trousers by ARN Mercantile.
Nigel Cabourn lives and works in Newcastle in England, from where he travels to all corners of the globe. On his journeys, in vintage stores and at flea markets he collects clothing and ideas for his collections. Old illustrated books and publications about expeditions, motorsports or military history provide him with design inspiration for his work.
His philosophy as a fashion designer is based on an ambitious, down-to-earth principle. “The design style typical for me is very authentic,” explains Nigel Cabourn. “First and foremost, a jacket should fulfil its purpose. Functional details are central to my work.” He attaches particular importance to the intricate workmanship as well as the use of durable and hard-wearing fabrics, some of which, true to the original, are reissued especially for him. “To commemorate the 100th Harris Tweed we created an exclusive series including a jacket, waistcoat, trousers and a duffle coat made of a particularly thick tweed fabric,” explains Cabourn. The garments, which are produced in small quantities for his label, have become sought-after collector’s items. Cabourn has them produced exclusively in Japan and Great Britain and sometimes works with manufacturing sites that otherwise only produce for the British military.
Rare and well-preserved originals, which he stores in his archive of currently over 2,000 items, fascinate him. Follow the link below to see Nigel Cabourn talking about the inspiration of the new A/W 2011 collection.
