Aaron Esh has been appointed Chief Creative Officer for AllSaints

Hi, Aaron. Let’s start with the main bit of news: you’re joining AllSaints… The great British high street!

When it was first proposed I was really curious. There was this feeling, this separation between the industry that I’m trained in and the industry that my brand is in. Other brands have been really great at elevating their image but also having product that is accessible. The idea of democratic fashion that’s shot really beautifully, that has been considered in terms of craft and fabrication, but is not grotesquely priced… It feels quite exciting to do that.

It’s something that I grew up with, and I think it feels it very British, to have an incredible high street. I remember it was all about going to Oxford Street, hanging out there on the weekends and finding the perfect pair of jeans. So many of the coolest people were wearing high street clothes and mixing it in with vintage and designer stuff. That kind of disappeared for a bit. And at the time, so many of the London designers, even if you think about the previous generation…

Christopher Kane.

Yeah, Christopher Kane, Meadham Kirchoff, Jonathan Anderson – they all did these incredible high street collaborations and people were queuing for them. There was such excitement.

I think that Topshop store felt like such a cultural hub of London, it was so good. That was such a Saturday afternoon out.

You would meet your friends there and people that you wanted to go out with. Almost everyone was shop lifting, weren’t they? But also AllSaints in Spitalfields, I remember that being a big part of the scene with Brick Lane and all the vintage.

That really does feel like their flagship store. I’ve been thinking so much about the shopping experience in general. Like I said before, there’s some really great brands that are so elevated in their imagery, but actually how many brands that aren’t traditional luxury houses have really nice shopping experiences? There’s a gap in the market to do something that is not just somewhere you can come discover clothes and culture, but also just have a really great shopping experience.

It’s really exciting.

What I really found interesting is that the CEO, Pete, is such a great guy and so sharp. I’ve never really worked for anyone before, and I was actually quite inspired by him. This appointment is quite ballsy from him, to get someone in that isn’t a corporate person who fits into a corporate structure, while giving me licence to have vision on product and creative across the whole company. Everyone’s struggling, there’s a global economic crisis, but AllSaints has turned a profit for the last five years and I think the foundation is there as a business structure in terms of their supply chain, their customer, their reach globally, 250 stores… All the foundations are there and this has real potential if we diversify the product range, elevate it, and position it tastefully, nicely, and excitingly. This was the right job for me to do something that really is impactful.

I think it feels like a natural extension of what you’ve been doing with your own label, which is about British style and subculture, and a very British sensibility when it comes to clothes, getting dressed and identity. It feels in keeping with that there’s so much you can do with it on a much bigger platform. But also what’s been really nice with your label, being a part of it and seeing it grow, is how many people have become a part of it. It’s a whole community.

I think that’s a really important thing when you go into a corporate company like this: to really instill the idea that the brand is going to be something that creates community and culture. One of the problems in terms of product with brands on the high street is that it becomes derivative and like, ​“let’s react now”. I think what I’ve really enjoyed about working at my own label is that it’s referencing what the kid on the street is wearing, what the kid at the party is wearing, what I’m wearing or what the intern in our studio is wearing – really tapping into that style and sensibility of city-centric London. That’s what AllSaints’ aesthetic and history is, which makes me feel like if you can do that with a product range that is diverse and affordable, it will transcend globally.

There aren’t really many British high street fashion brands left. There are fast fashion ones. But for me even growing up, AllSaints felt nicer than other brands, it was always a bit posh, but not in the sense of it being fancy, it just felt better made.

And it is. I went into the store and the quality of the product is nice, there is an attention to detail and a craftsmanship, especially the leather. I looked at the archive and it’s fantastic, it’s aged so well – jackets that are 20 years old, you can see there is a quality to the product. To me that was another factor. Design, to me, has an integrity in terms of fabrication and consideration and quality. What’s so interesting about this is that the price point is accessible but it also has margin to be made properly. That’s where I think there’s such room for growth, because if we do a fantastic £500 jacket, why would you spend £5000? That’s where I think the gap is and that’s why I feel so excited.

You’re going to be bringing a design sensibility to it and I’m really excited to see all of the potential that exists outside of the typical fashion calendar and system. There’s so much freedom that comes with that.

Yeah, I really like that. I’m going to continue my own brand and we’re going to have my studio under the same roof so I’m going to have oversight on both together. That, on their side, is such a commitment to British fashion. It was never a case of ​“You can’t do your own brand too”, and this kind of support I feel really grateful for. I think doing both together gives me one foot in the fashion calendar, one that’s very specific, and one foot in something that is global.

When do you start?

3^rd November.

What can we expect from the first collection?

I think for Autumn 2026, I’m going to be hitting the ground running. Katy [England] said that when she was with Riccardo [Tischi] at Givenchy he had this manifesto that he and the house referred to. I found that so inspiring so I started working on my own manifesto, a vision, a mission statement about principles and work culture, striving for excellence in the product categories that we’re going to be known for. I guess the thing that I find quite interesting is it being about style and not about gender. I like that. And there’s this idea of timelessness.I’m really looking forward to meeting the people that work at AllSaints – it’s a big office, 300 people I think, a big design team. The idea of leadership and inspiring people… I’m excited.

Very grown up.

It is very grown up.

Are you nervous?

No. I think that it feels natural. This is the beginning of my career. This is an opportunity for me to make clothes that everyone’s going to want to buy, that everyone’s going to want to wear, and that is fucking cool. I’m really excited to have the resources and all the support from the people that employ me. This is just the beginning.