Nigel Cabourn is a British fashion designer known for his unisex outerwear and vintage-inspired clothing which is already a force in the British fashion industry. When he launched his eponymous label in 1970, he took his influence from military and utilitarian clothing, sourcing the highest quality materials and constructing timeless pieces with his own personalized touch. Nigel launched his menswear brand in the North East of England, where he had previously studied fashion design. It wasn’t until 2013 that he finally launched his first womenswear collection and opened his UK flagship store at Covent Gardens in London. Along with today’s culture moving away from gender-based restrictions and embracing a unisex aesthetic focused on function over hype, Cabourn’s profile only continues to grow.
The new unisex collection by Vans Vault and Cabourn is filled with fun designs inspired by trips to California and Japan and combines surf style with classic Cabourn military. Cabourn took inspiration from military bags and clothing from the 1940s through the 1970s, tapping into vintage military materials, colors and aesthetics.
Ahead of the release of the collection, we had the exclusive opportunity to host a Q&A session via Instagram where our community was able to submit questions for Nigel. Below you can find his responses to some selected questions.
Question: What was it that got you interested in clothing?
Nigel Cabourn: I have been interested in clothing from a young age but it was during fashion collage in the 1960’s that I really got a feel for design. In particular I was hugely inspired by the Vietnam War, flower power and British pop music throughout my collage collections.
Question: What are your further plans with your brand?
Nigel Cabourn: We have lots planned for the future so get excited everyone! However, at the moment we are continuing to improve our website and merchandise offers.
Question: What do you think of the vintage trend today, will it survive?
NigeI Cabourn: I often get asked this question but I always give the same answer, which is that vintage is the backbone of Nigel Cabourn and we will always continue to work from it and reinterpret it in a new contemporary way whether that is through colour, design or fabrics. So yes, I definitely think it will survive.
Question: How did you get interested in vintage and work wear clothes?
Nigel Cabourn: Through studying at collage I really got into researching historic events, which therefore got me into vintage clothing. Since then, vintage continues to stimulate new ideas for me and will always be the inspiration behind our collections.
Question: What are your thoughts regarding sustainability, being inspired by work wear and vintage?
Nigel Cabourn: Our Authentic range is most definitely sustainable and due to its excellent quality and durability it is designed to last a lifetime. We have also recently launched our Recycle and Reinvest programme, which allows our customers to breathe a new life into their old Cabourn pieces and in return they will receive a voucher that will reflect the value of the pre-loved item they traded in.
Question: How did the connection to Japan come about?
Nigel Cabourn: I met our Japanese partners in Paris in 1981. They were very impressed with the brand and were very keen on expanding Nigel Cabourn to the Japanese market. Since then the brand has continued to grow and we are continuously opening new stores out there.
Question: As someone who has been in the industry so long, what are the main differences to now and when you started?
Nigel Cabourn: When I first started out in the industry there was very little competition but new young brands pop up left right and centre, which I think is great.
Question: How did the connection with Vans come about?
Nigel Cabourn: Vans got in touch with us and suggested the collaboration and we thought it was a great idea. We have recently gained a lot of younger customers so we aimed this collection towards them. This is also a fully unisex collection so it is great for both our male and female customers.
Question: Where do you get your inspiration from?
Nigel Cabourn: always try to relate each collection or collaboration to something personal, something I’m interested in or feel a connection to - particularly historic or military events. Other inspirations include vintage, travelling and books.
Question: What other things besides clothing are you interested in?
Nigel Cabourn: Good health, exercise, travelling and sports.
Thanks for everyone who joined our Q&A and submitted their questions, thanks to Vans for setting everything up and much thanks to Nigel for taking the time and the insights.
You can shop the collection now at our online shop.
