Reminiscing about great memories and moments of inspiration has been a theme of my working days currently and I always find myself thinking back to early December last year 2019, when I attended the V&A museum in Dundee to view the Nicholas Daley exhibition.

The V&A museum is the only design museum in Scotland and its an extreme privilege to have it on my doorstep in my home town of Dundee. This eclectic exhibition took place in The Michelin Design gallery and was like walking into Nicholas Daley’s studio, providing insights into his design and manufacturing processes. Many traditional practices were used and really celebrated the high level of craft and the skillful people needed to produce the products. I love how Daley marries the notion of heritage and contemporary design, making his aesthetic extremely popular with the current modern menswear market.

Another factor I loved is Daley’s family connection and how he highlights the influence of his Jamaican-Scottish heritage. Daley researches materials and fibers extensively to create new combinations and ways of using them, from new colours in tweeds or tartans to wax cottons from Halley Stevensons in Dundee.

His mum and the women on her side of the family all worked in the Jute mills in Dundee and his dad was in the British military. You can really see these influences coming through his work and also how important music is to his work and upbringing.

Heritage, story telling and Scottish manufacturing are all key elements that Jag truly resonates with and will continue to develop on, taking inspiration from Daley’s iconic work.

You can find out more about this exhibition at:

https://www.vam.ac.uk/dundee/exhibitions/studio-nicholas-daley

Nicholas Daley Exhibition at the V&A Dundee