January 13, 2026 |
Nicomede Talavera has long been a quiet radical of British fashion, a tailor with a rebel heart and a philosopher’s eye. His brand, Nicomede, made its debut in the early 2010s and fast found its footing amongst menswear obsessives and style-savvy retail curators alike (Dover Street Market, Selfridges, Galeries Lafayette and the Comme des Garçons Trading Museum) for its clever reinterpretations of sharp tailoring classics and menswear staples with a spiritually inquisitive, minimalist edge. Originally showing under Fashion East’s Man initiative alongside Bobby Abley and Liam Hodges, the British-Filipino Central Saint Martins graduate carved out a cult reputation for clothes that felt as emotional as they were exacting.
Today, following a three-year hiatus spent, in part, under the Philippine sun, soaking up his ancestral heritage and the island’s ritual sensibilities (the other part was a “time of reflection, isolation and being thoughtful. I was questioning who I am, who I want to be and [if] is this what I want to share with the world,”) Nicomede is back in business, serving up a meditative collection – Episode Seven – for AW26 that rethinks tailoring through an island vocabulary. Called Sacred Journey, the offering is not only Talavera’s return to fashion, it’s also his first foray into womenswear wherein he delivers subversive, sock-like lapels, diaphanous sheers whispering of ancestral memory and sculptural, shell-inspired silhouettes.
“Introducing womenswear was a natural evolution of the brand’s design language. It is now a more complete expression and inclusive vision of the brand – the hiatus gave me space to enable this,” says Talavera of the expansion. “I’ve always admired women and their divine feminine sensibility and strength. I have also referenced womenswear within my men’s collection – such as looking to 1950s couture, the cutting and iconic silhouettes. I have many strong, chic, empowered women around me and this collection is a celebration of them.”
It was his time in the Philippines that formed the basis for the collection. There, Talavera felt himself “resonating with the island’s energy, fluidity, being in nature and connecting to the ocean.” The “freedom” and “ease” he felt there, allowed him to explore. “The key moment was collecting washed up shells and studying their sculptural forms,” he says, going on to explain how the work of Filipino artist Arturo Luz served as a formative source of inspiration. “I first discovered Arturo Luz through the Ayala Museum in the Philippines [and] I fell in love with his sensibility and modernity.” It was Luz’s Boxes and Shells paintings that stimulated Talavera’s imagination. “The serenity of the space itself and the objects within them, especially the shells, felt like a combination of so many of the things that I love. I grew up in a house adorned with nature’s beautiful forms; shells from the Philippines, which my parents collected each time we visited from London. They became artefacts of our travels and history that connect me to the ocean that has been an integral part of my ancestor’s life,” he says. “This was the beginning of the structure, texture, colour and beauty of shells being a key inspiration for the collection. It is also the start of me celebrating Filipino artistry and there are several other artists whose work I will also explore going forwards.”
What emerged from this was a collection of assured, quietly powerful clothes boasting, in Talavera’s words, “depth and clarity”. Sacred Journey is a considered, tightly structured collection, its mood underscored by a dark palette with inky blacks dominating looks, while unexpected pops of chartreuse, crimson, taupe, mustard and army green puncture the severity with a subtle air of optimism. Central to the womenswear debut is what Talavera calls a “‘pinch detail’ which is prominent in womenswear, taken from the structure of a cowrie shell and the boxes from Arturo Luz’s work,” a drape that becomes “key to many of the womenswear silhouettes” across tops, skirts, dresses and coats. Shells recur as a conceptual anchor: “The texture and ridged edges of shells also got me thinking about ribbed knits and in particular the effortlessness of ribbed sports socks,” he explains, reworking these as collars across lambswool knits and outerwear, most notably the Mika and Mutya sock bomber jackets in leather and suede.
Elsewhere, Talavera “developed a ‘twisted placket’ to emulate the curves of a shell,” applied to shirting and outerwear, with the Livio jersey shirt described as “extremely soft to the hand [with] a [sense of] fluidity and sexiness”, while select pieces are finished with “mother of pearl hand-embroidery which brings beauty and graphicness”.
Throughout, his long-standing obsession with tailoring holds firm: “I have always loved exploring tailored silhouettes and am obsessed with details, cut and finishes… with an avant garde expression,” combining what he calls the “essence of the island” with his established focus on “tailoring, historical references and utility wear”. Revealed via a stripped-back, intimate lookbook lensed by Steve Harnacke and styled by George Krakowiak, Sacred Journey feels like a return sharpened by reflection – deliberate, directional and quietly assured.
When the collection is worn, Talavera hopes the wearer will feel “brave, elevated [and] empowered with an effortless ease that is grounded in classic elegance.” Designed for “souls who think and feel”, the clothes carry a quiet confidence – pieces meant to be lived in, not just looked at.
Talavera’s intent to step back into fashion surfaced two years ago when he discovered a renewed sense of purpose to nurture both himself and his brand. “The strategy was to honour the codes that I have previously created but to research deeper narratives that resonate with me. I wanted to return with an evolved vision of the brand and to build on identity, culture and community,” Talavera explains, framing the relaunch as more than a comeback. “The relaunch marks a strategic reset as this intentional pause enabled me to realign the brand with its core values. It gave me the confidence to sharpen the brand’s positioning with clarity and maturity.”
Those years away recalibrated not just the business, but the creative instinct behind it. “These last couple of years have been a new way of living with true authenticity [for me] – [like] peeling back layers of myself and understanding what my purpose is,” he reflects. That introspection clarified how – and why – he wanted to create. “This gave clarity to my creative process, intentionality with my design choices and I focused more on longevity. The collection reflects a quiet strength and this shift – cleaner silhouettes, stronger construction and a deeper emotional presence. ‘Sacred journey means creating in my truth and creating with purpose.’”
Now firmly back, Talavera is already focused on what comes next. “The pause replaced urgency with intention,” he says. “I learned that to continue to flow and create, my creativity must come from the heart and a place of authenticity.” With that grounding in place, Nicomede moves forward deliberately. “Nicomede is a wardrobe that evolves thoughtfully. I am leading with optimism and [am] excited by the future and [my] long term creative potential.”
Photography by Steve Harnacke.
