Lucas Hugh – luxury performance sportswear


Before I go any further, I have to say I know nothing about working out – the only time I’ve ever been in a gym was to do a fashion shoot. I occasionally do the Cindy Crawford workout and that’s mainly for the music and Oscar-worthy cinematography. For that I wear American Apparel running shorts and a Nike sweatshirt with the sleeves cut off. I’m happy in those but really, why isn’t anyone doing high end, fashion-focussed sportswear other than Nike, Y3 and Stella McCartney for Adidas? Well, now someone is. Lucas Hugh is a small line of performance sportswear that looks super-special but is truly fit for purpose. From the design of the body-contouring pieces (with sleek, invisible BlackBerry pockets and headphone eyelets), to the prints, to the look book, to the website, everything is beautifully considered and functional.

Founder and creative director, Anjhe Mules was born in New Zealand and worked as a stylist before setting up as a swimwear designer, selling at Zambesi alongside Comme des Garcons, Martin Margiela and Helmut Lang. Interestingly, Lucas Hugh is exclusively stocked online as Mules believes in this business model. Indeed, there’s a lot to be said for a new brand selling from its own etail site. It means it can micro-manage every aspect of its development and can keep its prices down. Lucas Hugh prices are not bad for this level of quality – £110 for shorts, £130 for bodysuits, £280 for jackets. Due to their not-just-for-the-gym, aesthetic, some of these pieces can easily double up for day – e.g. the Babel Bodysuit which is a traditional body but bags out like a blousy top. I think the brand has a lot of potential. What do you think?