Themes/Identity: Using identity as a tool for creativity
Graphic design tutor Anoushka introduces you some artists whose identity informs the way they work creatively.
Video picks: Nicholas Daley - Red Clay
- Written byAnoushka Khandwala
- Published date 29 March 2019
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Graduating from Central Saint Martins in 2013, Nicholas Daley has gone on to incorporate aspects of his heritage as well as his love for jazz into his clothing collections. ‘Red Clay’ for Autumn/Winter 18, focuses on the alternative history of tweed and its integration into jazz culture.
Taking its name from Freddie Hubbard’s 1970 soul-jazz fusion album, the collection draws inspiration from the colours of Blue Note record sleeves, which were developed into knitwear styles. Uniting nonconformist cultures and emphasising the importance of British craftsmanship, this approach reflects the essence of jazz music, which uses conflicting rhythms as the basis for the piece.
Nicholas Daley AW18 collection
Video: Nicholas Daley AW18 collection ‘Red Clay’. Film directed by Reuben Bastienne-Lewis. Art Direction, Nicholas Daley. Live Music Direction, Yussef Dayes.
The video features a collaboration between Daley and renowned musicians Yussef Dayes, Mansur Brown, Alfa Mist and Shabaka Hutchings, capturing the joyous spontaneity of a live jazz session. The result is an explosion of sound and colour, showcasing an alternative way to present a fashion collection.
Want to see more?
‘Red Clay’ is Nicholas’ 8th collection and the second collection supported by the British Fashion Council’s NEW GEN programme.
Watch the video for his SS19 collection ‘SLYGO’, which pays tribute to his family’s connections to Britain’s reggae sound system culture.
Nicholas says that because of his mixed Jamaican and Scottish heritage bringing things together is in his DNA. This attitude has led him to combine interests such as jazz, kilts and tweed into unorthodox and fascinating design choices, ensuring his second collection was received with a bang at London Fashion Week. A look at Nicholas’s website shows the visual references for each collection, showcasing the importance of finding inspiration that resonates with him as a designer, enabling the different strands of his identity to come together as a sonic cultural clash.
