The Tamesis
At YMC’s north London studio, neatly arranged rails of clothing press between individual glass panels, compressing jackets and trousers into layered silhouettes that animate the garments. High ceilings and winter sunlight (unusually bright for a January morning) flooded the space as the team prepared to ship samples to Paris, where the brand will present its collection to buyers from January 20 to 26.
YMC’s studio in Kentish Town, north London.
This year marks the brand’s 30th anniversary and its first full year as an independent company. Co-founded in 1995 by Jimmy Collins and the late Fraser Moss, YMC (short for You Must Create, a quote from industrial designer Raymond Loewy) is known for its understated workwear silhouettes, military elements and strong ties to music and subcultures. For three decades it has become a staple of British independent fashion, stocked by retailers including End, Liberty, Rendez-Vous in Paris, Assembly in New York and Beaker in South Korea.
In 2024, Sage Toda-Nation was appointed creative director, filling the position of Moss, who had passed away the previous year. In December 2024, Collins bought the brand back from French Connection, which had owned the brand since 2004. Collins sold it during financial difficulties to French Connection founder Stephen Marks, a family friend.
Collins said the anniversary is as much a time of reflection as it is a time of reset. YMC is spearheading its future growth as an independent founder-led company, appointing a new creative director and refocusing on commercial stability while protecting its established brand equity.
“I feel a responsibility to respect the history of the brand,” Toda-Nation said. “I’ve definitely had one client come in since I joined, but the client base is very broad.” Toda-Nation says YMC regularly enters the lives of its customers through its products – it was the first brand the designer saved up to buy as a teenager. Collins agrees: “Our audience can range from 18 to 80 years old — I have friends who are like, ‘My mom just discovered your brand,’ and others are like, ‘My kids just dug out all the YMC in my closet.'”
At the YMC studio.
