Throwing Fits: The Nicholas Daley Interview

Release Date: February 16, 2026
Guest: Nicholas Daly (Founder & Designer, Nicholas Daly)
Hosts: Throwing Fits

Episode Overview

This episode features acclaimed British-Jamaican fashion designer Nicholas Daly, marking his brand’s ten-year anniversary amidst an award-winning run, major collaborations, and the honor of having his work included in the MET Museum Costume Institute’s “Super Fine Tailoring, Black Style” exhibition. The hosts and Nicholas dive deep into his design ethos, multicultural roots, unique approach to collaboration, reflections on education, navigating the fashion industry as a Black British designer, and share vibrant anecdotes about music, culture, and travel.

Main Themes & Key Insights

1. Nicholas Daly’s Influences, Brand Origins & Fit check

• Fit Check (02:30): Nicholas arrives layered up for cold New York in pieces from Mantle, his own Madras-check field shirt, and Carhartt WIP denim, plus jewelry from Native American artisans.
• Emphasis on Community: Support for independent and friend-founded brands, both in personal style and through collaborative projects.
  • "It's good to support independent brands and friends who have also been doing their designs and creations just as long as I have." — Daly (02:46)
• Madras Fabric's History (03:36): Nicholas discusses using fabric as storytelling: his Madras shirt explores connections across India, the Caribbean, and the UK, and questions colonial legacies in textiles.
  • “How things are literally woven together through history and time. How can I reflect that into my own collection?” — Daly (04:14)
• Clarks Originals Collaboration (04:57): Celebrates Jamaican heritage and its impact on British men’s style, culminating in a high-profile collab. Event in Tokyo featured Japanese-Jamaican artist Daichi Yamamoto.

2. Career Milestones & Major Collaborations

• Carhartt WIP Collab (06:50): Launched globally—events in Tokyo, Paris, London, New York—rooted in music and sound system culture.
  • “It was so incredible to see so many people come out… we had different musicians and DJs and artists playing at every event. Different sound system crews.” — Daly (07:06)
  • Key item: The "crown" hat—first Carhartt WIP piece of its kind—sold out immediately.
• Personal Roots (27:30): Daly’s parents—Jamaican father, Scottish mother—ran a reggae club in Edinburgh. Family, music, and community are central to his identity and design.
  • “My mum knitted that for my dad… didn’t have a lot of money so she knew how to knit… my dad wore it as he would DJ and play.” — Daly (27:49)

3. The Value & Experience of Formal Fashion Education

• Central Saint Martins Experience (18:04): Daly discusses student debt, culture of hard work, and his class of peers—Grace Wales Bonner, Kiko Kostadinov, Charles Jeffrey, among others.
  • “I have to work twice as hard being a black designer... and that's something that I was taught.” — Daly (20:30)
• Social Media’s Impact (24:12): Contrast between his formative years (less social pressure, focus on work) and today’s university environment, where social media presence and influencer aspirations run high.

4. Identity, Representation & Culture

• Black British Talent’s Rise (19:15 & 62:07): Discussion about the surge in Black British designers and why London’s institutions produce so many influential figures.
  • “What a time for me as a black British designer, to be part of a generation of amazing black female designers, or just black British designers in general, who are all doing amazing stuff...” — Daly (62:55)
• Navigating Cultural Appreciation (35:31): On authenticity, hybridity, and cultural exchange—notably between Jamaica, the UK, and Japan.
  • “As long as everything's done in an authentic way and it's true to them and they believe in it, then okay… I'm not…” — Daly (37:20, on cultural appropriation)

5. Industry, Business, and Creative Longevity

• Bumps & Successes in Building the Brand (29:32): The brand’s slow, meaningful global growth (via key partners in Japan, the UK, USA), challenges of keeping up momentum and loyalty.
  • “We've been doing it the slow way… working with the right accounts, building it properly.” — Daly (29:44)
• Protecting Creative IP (51:00): Experiences with having designs copied post-LVMH Prize, learning about IP/trademark protection.
  • “That was an experience that I had, which kind of made me wake up in terms of my own business and the brand and how I need to protect it...” — Daly (52:39)
• Collaborative Approach: Nicholas gravitates toward partners with heritage (e.g., Carhartt, Clarks, Fred Perry) and mutual creative respect.
  • “A dream collaboration is normally a partner who has a heritage or a linearage which I can then connect with and a fucking bag and hopefully all the resources behind it and two tickets for a world tour.” — Daly (77:15)

6. Music as Muse

• Sound System Culture & Creative Process (41:26, 81:01): Daly’s design office and events pulse with music, especially punk, dub, reggae (Bad Brains, Miles Davis, Leon Bridges, Bob Marley).
  • “This Rebel Riot collection was a lot of hardcore, like Bad Brains… punk, reggae... this feeling that brought these people together… right. And anti-establishment ideology was like the unification.” — Daly (81:01)
• Best-Dressed Musicians (47:29): Daly names Miles Davis (all eras), Bob Marley, and points to musicians' style as both inspiration and family influence—his father’s club once hosted reggae legends.

7. Reflections on Recognition and Legacy

• The Met Museum Highlight (39:18): Inclusion in the Costume Institute marks a career milestone; shared the moment with his parents.
  • “To be part of the Met… Mom and dad did come over for that, they saw the exhibition. That was amazing.”
• Mentorship & Giving Back (65:26): Daly now judges at St. Martin’s, participates in design award panels, and aims to mentor the next generation, especially Black and minority creatives.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On the Brand’s Longevity:

  • “When did you know the brand was on solid ground? It was like a viable business?”
    — “Probably yesterday.” — Daly (29:37)

• On Collaborations:

  • “What I find is I've managed to have a really great appreciation... working with brands with heritage… I've managed to find a way to bring my world, my energy and my design into something which already has a very historical context.” — Daly (75:11)

• On Cultural Syncretism:

  • “Like the islands which tie me together. Maybe the general ties of islands which the brand sits within.” — Daly (34:52, referencing Jamaica, UK, Japan)

• On Fashion Education’s Shifting Landscape:

  • “I'm happy that social media wasn't as prevalent when I was a student… you could focus on the work.” — Daly (24:12–24:27)

• On Black British Fashion’s Ascent:

  • “I'm just like, wow, like, what a time for me as a black British designer, to be part of a generation…” — Daly (62:54)

Timestamps of Important Segments

| Timestamp | Topic/Segment | |:----------:|:------------------------------------------------------| | 02:30 | Nicholas Daly’s full fit check (what he’s wearing) | | 03:36 | Madras check and fabric as cultural storytelling | | 04:57 | Clarks Originals collaboration; Japanese-Jamaican connections | | 06:50 | Carhartt WIP collaboration and global tour | | 14:27 | Japan as a key market; early brand support | | 18:04 | Central Saint Martins, student debt, and peer group | | 20:30 | Hard work/family influences as Black designer | | 22:59 | Graduate collection/casting Don Letts in university show | | 24:12 | Reflections on social media's rising influence | | 27:30 | Family history: reggae club in Edinburgh | | 29:32 | Reflecting on brand sustainability and growth | | 34:52 | “Island Ties” collection and the linking of cultures | | 35:31 | Embracing multicultural connections; Japanese Rastas | | 39:18 | Met Museum exhibition highlight | | 41:26 | Clothing selection for MET; Kabiri shirt explained | | 51:00 | On protecting IP as a creative | | 62:07 | Shout outs to Black British designer peers | | 65:26 | Mentoring the next generation | | 74:30 | Dream future collaborations | | 80:56 | Creative process & what’s on the studio playlist | | 81:01 | “Rebel Riot” collection and cross-genre inspiration | | 87:44 | National pride & football allegiances | | 89:13 | Daly's first Knicks game & tunnel fits | | 93:10 | Daly’s constructive critique for the podcast | | 95:13 | Upcoming collections: Rooted Revival (Spring 26), Rebel Riot (Fall/Winter 26) |

Memorable Moments

• Fit check banter (02:30–16:54): Layered brands, practical footwear for a sprained ankle, sentimental jewelry, Porter bag from Tokyo, and a bandana from his wife spark warm, humorous exchanges.
• Paris ankle story (16:56): Daly’s tumble on Paris cobblestones—"no one helped me"—becomes a funny and relatable fashion week anecdote.
• Family photos (27:30): Nicholas shares photos of his parents—his mother made his father's DJ knits—which underscores tangible, generational ties to craft and music.
• The Met honor (39:18): Recognizes family support and seeing his own work alongside historic Jamaican garments.
• MSG/NBA Experience (88:47): Taking his wife courtside for her birthday, bridging British and American sports fandom.

Upcoming Projects & Where to Follow

• Spring '26 Collection ("Rooted Revival") launching soon; features Gimpman Brothers collab on Madras Western shirts—first Nicholas Daly shirts made in the USA. (95:13)
• Fall/Winter '26 ("Rebel Riot"): New collaborations with Lavenham (British quilt maker), George Cox (historic British footwear), and further exploration of music/fashion crosscurrents. (96:13)
• Website & Socials:
  • nicholasdaily.net
  • Instagram: @nicholas_daly
  • Twitter/Facebook: Nicholas Daly

Final Thoughts from Nicholas Daly

• On supporting other independent brands:
  “Keep spotlighting the breadwins and people I respect. That’s a very busy, noisy industry.” (94:14)
• On the decade milestone:
  “I’m just happy that I reached year 10... I had a really great year last year and I appreciate that you guys have also seen that because I know you follow a lot of brands.” (96:55)

For more on Nicholas Daly’s boundary-crossing design, heritage-driven collaborations, and reflections on identity, creativity, and contemporary menswear, check out his collections and watch for upcoming global drops throughout 2026.