N Palmer, Debuting Into The Future

The fashion landscape has changed, and with it the way designers have debuted has changed with it. N Palmer is one such designer, the CSM graduate launched his brand in 2020 in the midst of the biggest shake up the industry and consumers have known in living memory. We couldn’t wait to catch up with the designer and ask him about his debut London Fashion Week collection and how he’s using vintage fabrics and deadstock to reinvent fashion in the current era . . .

You’ve created a collection that plays with patchwork, do you have colour and pattern in mind and try to find fabrics that fit a vision, or is it a reverse and you’ve used what you had to build the vision of each garment?

I usually start with what I have or source fabrics specifically for creating mock-ups. I started experimenting with different patterns and stripes using shirts I had sourced during lockdown. I liked the graphic nature of the gingham and stripes against the vintage florals.

There was something still very modern even though these patterns are classic and historical even. I knew that each piece was going to be different when it came to producing so I had to figure out how to make sure they would each look just as good as the original so I came up with a bit of a formula to insure this.

As a muppets fan I was delighted to see a reference to Kermit in the collection, is he your fave or is it another muppet?

Haha wow I was not expecting to be asked about the muppets. My Tindr profile actually says “Statler looking for his Waldorf” which is a reference to the two old men in who sit in the balcony and crack jokes during the show.

I have always loved “the rainbow connection” I think its one of the greatest songs. I grew up with that show, and Sesame Street, they’re about inclusion, optimism, empathy, and having fun, things that we sometimes forget about and should probably remind ourselves.

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What draws you to the duality of vintage fabrics for modern garments?

We have been seeing it a lot in fashion, vintage prints and patterns put into a modern context. I felt that instead of making new things that reference the past why not take the past into the present literally? I think that we have a hard time actually imagining the amount of clothes that are wasted or go to landfill. There is something like enough clothes on the planet right now to clothe the next 6-8 generations of people on the earth. That astronomical number and space that takes it just seemed wrong not to at least try and take a bit of that out or at least mix it up a bit into something new. Some people aren’t into vintage so this a way to create something new that isn’t at the expense of adding to the fashion refuse in the world and because of that its all unique who doesn’t what something that’s just theirs?

Many designers dream of the runaway that will hold their fashion week debut, how did it feel to instead deliver the collection digitally?

Yeah it was different, everything was shot the week before and then it went live. It didn’t feel as momentous as a fashion show, it was more of a NYE countdown til midnight and then just breathing the air in as it went live and seeing what happened.

Fashion week has traditionally been about designers showing, the fashion press curating and the public reading, the digital nature of the last year has shifted that balance to allow designers to go more directly to the audience, has that change come int your thinking of how to present the collection?

As a new and small company being about to present anything can be a struggle and I knew that I needed to be realistic considering the current climate I was launching the label in. Ingenuity was key to create what I did for this collection both in the design as well as how it was presented. I think there have been some really interesting and wonderful digital shows this year and I hope that more brands keep it digital in the future, I think it levels the playing field.

While music is a huge part of fashion week and fashion has a symbiotic relationship with music it’s not usually as clearly referenced, what drew you to create the playlist to go with the collection?

I know it’s odd right? I feel like I always see images of musicians as inspiration but do wonder if designers actually listen to them or see it from a visual perspective alone? I wasn’t looking to emulate clothing these artists were wearing; it was about capturing the feeling and the emotional reaction the music gave me and injecting it into the collection, something joyful and optimistic, something you can dance to at times. The playlist was a way for me to share a piece of the world I was creating, it’s the music I listen while working on the collection. Some of the songs were new discoveries over the past year and some I have personal stories attached to and wanted to share. I wanted it to feel sincere, a mix tape you might have received from a friend before streaming services. Things like that I still find very charming.

Playlist is available on N Palmer YouTube channel

Fashion week has traditionally been about designers showing, the fashion press curating and the public reading, the digital nature of the last year has shifted that balance to allow designers to go more directly to the audience, has that change come int your thinking of how to present the collection?
As a new and small company being about to present anything can be a struggle and I knew that I needed to be realistic considering the current climate I was launching the label in. Ingenuity was key to create what I did for this collection both in the design as well as how it was presented. I think there have been some really interesting and wonderful digital shows this year and I hope that more brands keep it digital in the future, I think it levels the playing field.

For the last question, I’d like to put you in the shoes of a fashion journalist, what is the question you would have asked yourself?

Tell me how the pandemic influenced your process? Will you continue working that way in how your company is run?

Creative Direction: Nicholas Palmer, Photography: Balint Barna, Model: Odira Morwabone, MUA: Jenny Green, Hair: Toni&Guy, Video Editing: Instraspectrum Studios