Lyn Harris and Nick Wakeman Were Always Going to Make Something Together

HUR CONVERSATIONS

Feb 3

Written By Bonnie Langedijk

*Lyn Harris and Nick Wakeman. Courtesy of Studio Nicholson and Perfumer H.*

Lyn Harris & Nick Wakeman

Lyn Harris and Nick Wakeman Were Always Going to Make Something Together

By Bonnie Langedijk

In the early 2000s, Nick Wakeman ran a shop in London, and Lyn Harris would come in to buy jeans. Not occasionally— almost monthly, leaving with denim and t-shirts and whatever else caught her eye. Both still dress exactly as they did then, which tells you something about the consistency of their taste, or perhaps that they simply got it right the first time.

Wakeman went on to found Studio Nicholson, the London-based clothing label built on a fabric-first philosophy and the notion that ordinary garments—shirts, trousers, a good coat—might be made exceptionally beautiful without becoming precious about it. Harris became Britain's first classically trained female perfumer, studying in Grasse before launching Perfumer H, a fragrance house guided by a single vision: her own. Both brands have since grown into something quietly global, with stores in Tokyo, London, Paris, Seoul and Shanghai, and the kind of devoted followings that cannot be manufactured or bought.

What makes these two women unusual—and unusually successful—is the balance they've struck. They've built brands that feel creatively rich and genuinely distinctive, yet they'll tell you plainly that there's no point making something beautiful if nobody's going to buy it. They're direct, funny, entirely uninterested in preciousness or pretence. In an industry that often treats commercial viability as the enemy of artistic integrity, they've proven it needn't be either-or.

SOAP eau de parfum is their first collaboration—an intimate scent capturing the trace of clean fabric against skin, inspired by Italian barbershops, worn-in cotton, and Harris's grandmother, who used the same soap her entire life. It took over a year to develop. Harris worked late into the night, consumed by it; Wakeman rejected version after version without apology. Neither of them would have had it any other way.

But we’ll let them do the talking.

*Courtesy of Studio Nicholson and Perfumer H.*

Bonnie: Your brands speak to a similar person. It's someone who appreciates essentialism, uniformity. How do you perceive the overlap between your philosophies and how does the philosophy of your brand extend into your personal life?

Nick: Both of our brands break it down to the bare bones of what it is. We are raw in terms of what we try to communicate. Obviously with Lyn, the names of her fragrances are just one word and they're very descriptive. I try to be a purist with how I make clothes as well. And yes, we do share a lot of customers, don't we?

Lyn: We do. I've always wanted to create something for Nick and we've always talked about it, but we've never quite got around to it. It's all about timing in life, isn't it? We've come to a nice sort of place, both of us, with our businesses, our thoughts and creatively. It's a really good moment to do this.

Bonnie: You talked about doing something together for a long time. What made this the right timing?

Nick: Do you know what? We didn't really talk about it for a long time. We just basically knew that we should do it right, Lynn? We never went, "Oh, we must do something one day." It was like, "Well, okay, uh, let's do it." That was it. We both knew that it would happen one day. It's like finding the great love of your life really, isn't it?

Lyn: And sometimes you don't. Why not soap? Honestly, I'm so in love with this name. Nick was going on about her love of Italian barbershops and this clean smell and then the fabric smell. There were all these images that Nick would come with when she came to my space and my laboratory. And we just said it one day, didn't we? Soap.

“Nick was going on about her LOVE of Italian barbershops and this clean smell and then the fabric smell. There were all these images that Nick would come with when she came to my space and my laboratory. And we just said it one day, didn't we? Soap.”

Nick: I'm very concerned with what goes against your skin with fabrics. We didn't quite arrive at something that smelled like cotton. Lyn researched it lots, but actually it came down to skin and what the very least veil on your skin was; that smell. That little essential thing that everybody has, and I guess it's soap isn't it? But then also, I am obsessed with barbershops and male groom-y stuff.

Lyn: I was just listening to Nick over this period of time. It was quite intense. Do you know what I said in the training, Nick? You were so intense with me, which I fucking love, but I haven't had that since I did the fragrance for Jane Birkin. And she was just another level.

Nick: It wasn't easy.

Lyn: I love the fact it was a journey and it was up and down. I can remember just saying, "No, I'm not going out tonight. I've got this fragrance. I have to get it." It became such a part of me.

Nick: You would send me messages at 9:00 PM at night, and I just thought "What are you doing woman?"

Lyn: It took me over and I like when that happens because it's different when you're creating for another brand or an individual who's got so much to say. I want to fulfill it because it really challenges me creatively. I've made new ground with this fragrance and I'm really proud of this one. It's really complex. You go in and out of it.

Bonnie: What does that look like when you collaborate on a scent?

Nick: We would be in her laboratory and I would be sitting there and she'll come back and go, "Well, what about this? " And I would say, "No." And then Lyn would say, "Okay, I'm going to do this and this and this. " And I would say, "No." And then I would go home with something, spray it on, and then a day later she'd go, "What do you think? " And I would go, "I don't like it. "

Lyn: "No, we're not there!" And it just kept going on like this and I loved it.

Nick: Oh God, if I were you I would have killed me.

Lyn: No! It's how a true creative process should be. The outcome is something unique and that's what I'm really excited about. Collaborations are this synergy of two minds. I don't do that many, so when I do, I put everything into it. I guess because of our history, Nick introduced me to streetwear when I was younger, it carried a lot for me. This smell, I wanted it to be a part of all that. It's this genderless, timeless piece that no matter where you are or who you are, it just fits. It's something beautiful that becomes part of your everyday life, your uniform.

*Lyn Harris in Paris. Courtesy of Studio Nicholson and Perfumer H.*

Bonnie: Nick, you also made a collection to go with the scent, which I know includes a baseball cap, which I love because it's one of Lyn's signatures. What was your approach to adding that physical element to a scent which is ephemeral?

Nick: The pieces that we've made for Lyn are Lyn's uniform. The fabrics that we've chosen are there for a specific reason. Lyn brought in a skater pant that she bought in LA and we tried to take that worn out, beat up, twill for the pant. The shirt is made from the finest cotton you've ever felt. And it's all in blue, of course. You've got a powdered blue shirt, darkest navy, twill, skater pant, and a baseball cat that says soap on it. It was already written, I think. There was no other way to do it. It is really for Lyn. Does it talk about soap in a way? No, it doesn't. It talks about Lyn. It shows my admiration for her. It shows what making a fragrance is all about with someone like Lyn because she's a fucking legend. I think the pieces aren’t really synonymous with Studio Nicholson, they're more synonymous with Lyn. I'm really into it because quite frankly, everyone wants to dress like Lyn. The best products work when they're seen on people. It allows you to immerse yourself into that world. I have no doubt that women have walked into the store and met Lyn and said, "Oh my God, where's your shirt from? Where's your pant from?" That's our truest expression.

Bonnie: For me, you're both women who have a very clear idea of what they like, who they are, what their brands represent. It's almost this anti-traditional industry mindset. It feels very ... I know by now we all hate the word authentic, but it is that. Lyn, how do you look at the world of perfumery and Nick, how do you look at the world of fashion, and do you feel part of that industry?

Lyn: No, I never do. I always feel a little bit on the outside. I like to have that rebellious edge. I do know everybody in the industry, but I always sit on the periphery. When I went to Paris, I was that English girl, so I sat in cafes by myself in Paris. I love my industry, even though I am on the outside, I just don't play the obvious game. Although I do teach, and give something back because it's a phenomenal industry and I've been taught by two amazing people. I do need to pass it back on. I like to sit on the edge and observe, to do my own thing. That's what I love about Nick too. You just do your own thing.

Nick: We all know I don't like to play by the rules. I'm famous for it. The rules are there to be broken, especially when you're being creative. All the greatest creatives are rule breakers. I like to look for the new all the time. I'm very easily bored, I guess that's the answer. Do I feel like I'm part of the industry? Yes, I do. I have to play the game.

Bonnie: You have both built these niche but global brands with cult followings. What has been key to cultivating that consistent and distinct vision that speaks to these people?

Lyn: It's just being true to who you are. I'm always challenging myself, but I'm also very into the details of keeping everything consistent. I never veer away. There's a rhythm and I keep on with that rhythm. It's that entrepreneurial thing as well, which I think me and Nick both have. We just know how to build brands.

Nick: I've never met another woman who's as entrepreneurial as I am, apart from Lyn. We've both got two sides to our brains, which is very unusual. You can be very creative, but you're also making something that you have to know is going to sell. You've got to somehow put X and Y together and equal Z. That's the beauty of it. We both love selling things. You're a retailer, I'm one as well. There's no point making something if no one's going to buy it. I think the trick to creating a niche brand is, yes, be really out there and create something covetable, but unless it's the right price, built on the right selling mechanisms and marketed well, it seems a bit pointless. Both of us having independent brands, we have a real knowledge of how to do that. And it's instinctual, isn't it?

Lyn: It is.

*Nick Wakeman in Paris. Courtesy of Studio Nicholson.*

Bonnie: There's so many people in the industry that are still so scared of commerciality, and I think it's very refreshing to see two women creating two brands that feel so real and have such a particular vision, yet understand that it is about product that people want to buy, want to wear, want to use. I also wanted to talk about Japan, you both have a connection to Japan too. What is it you love about the country, the culture, and how does that come through in the brands you built?

Nick: I've been going to Japan for nearly 30 years and it still inspires me. There's this amazing tradition and slowness in Japan which we don't really enjoy here. There's something quite thoughtful about the culture of Japan. When you buy something, they'll spend three hours wrapping it in front of you. It's about preserving tradition. You could say that about lots of places in the world, it just so happens that Japan is it for me. To be honest with you, I've been going that many times, I don't even know why I love it anymore but I still get a kick. We're opening stores in Japan. Lyn, I think you're maybe thinking about that.

Lyn: Yes. We've set up a business there and we've been looking for a shop for a year. I'm like Nick. I've been going for about 25 years and I love it. It's this quiet way of living and the respect that they have for one another and for life and people, the culture, the food and the clothing. There's so much there. It's a really interesting culture. We should go. Once I found this bloody shop.

Nick: Exactly. Three weeks notice on this. We're opening a store in Shanghai in two weeks. So Lyn's been filling me in all about Shanghai because she did it last year. We have lots to talk about all the time and lots of parallels, which is why when we go out for dinner, it's very hard to stay off work. It's either the dogs or work or food or boys, isn't it, really?

Lyn: Yes, boys or whatever.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.