LA NAUSÉE is an archive clothing boutique founded in 2020 by Ross McLeish and Harry Tibble. Their research and passion for the designers they collect has gained a cult following, taking them from selling out of Harry’s old flat to a permanent space in London where their archive continues to exponentially grow. YMC creative director Sage Toda-Nation met Ross and Harry through mutual friends, only to discover they had been collecting an archive of YMC pieces from the earliest days of the brand. We visited them in Hackney to talk about how their curation process works, what people are wearing today, and trousers.
How did this all start - what led you both to LA NAUSÉE?
Harry: It started during lockdown - the classic start of a business story. We were both buying and selling clothes individually for a long time, addicted to eBay, buying second-hand clothes and trying to learn more about the designers we liked. A friend put us in contact, and we decided, “let’s make this professional.” The name comes from a book I was reading by Jean-Paul Sartre. I just liked the way it looked.
Did you share similar interests or bring different tastes to it?
Ross: We definitely agreed on things, but were also on different sides of the fashion spectrum, which worked – I was looking at one set of styles, and he was looking at another, so it all came together nicely. As we’ve gotten older and our tastes have developed, they’ve definitely become a lot more similar. Now, it’s more about having a wardrobe. The avant garde stuff is great, but half the time you can’t really wear it, so it doesn’t really fall into where we are at.
It’s a great perspective. Previously people were buying vintage and keeping it for an archive; pieces that they can’t or don’t wear, and are more like art…
H: We both have this feeling where we don’t want to have things that people can’t actually use. I get really anxious about clothes when they’re not being used. I want them to be rented, sold, or something like that, you know? I want people to access them. If you’re keeping something in plastic and not letting people touch it – I can appreciate that – but for us, it’s just not what we want to do.
In terms of YMC - what drew you to archive YMC?
R: I bought a jacket from another seller, purely because I liked the design and colors. When I looked into the brand more, I spent a lot of time on the internet searching, and it became a rabbit hole. The imagery we found and other items we were buying made us realize how good this stuff really was. Growing up, I wasn’t aware of the YMC of the 90s, but I was aware of that 2010s era – that elevated casual style, which they do really well. It’s really interesting to see how forward-thinking they were at the time.
Have you found anything that you really liked, or details that were really interesting?
R: A lot of archive YMC is pretty wearable. We have some down jackets with chevron quilting – they're just incredible quality. We had a really nice shirt with an arced sleeve, which we reluctantly sold. It was one of the first things we got, and probably should have held onto. Those technical elements were done in such a subtle way. There’s always an articulated sleeve or little things like thumb holes. For me, that’s what it’s all about.
H: I agree, it’s just really wearable, but then when you put it on, you realize there’s something slightly different about it – it makes you think more about the piece. More often than not, the detail always reveals itself, whether it’s the material or the color that becomes the focal point, which is quite obvious and nice. That’s what I personally like about clothes: when things are so obvious that you can’t ignore them. Ambiguity doesn’t translate well with me, so I think YMC is very honest in its design.
Given what you're sourcing and selling, what do you think people are looking for in clothing today?
R: Wearability. Longevity. Quality. Obviously, design is still important, but we sell a good amount of pieces simply because they’re very well made. To the average eye, they might just look like a standard pair of trousers. But when you put them on, they’re literally the best trousers you’ve ever worn.
H: I think once people discover a brand and find the things they like, they tend to stick with it more now. Thankfully, we’ve managed to develop a good customer base where people can come to us knowing what they’re going to find. That helps us direct what we’re buying as well. We know it’s good, they know it’s good, and it just kind of creates a harmony.
And are you finding that people are coming to you already with a knowledge base, or are they learning stuff as they are here (at LA NAUSÉE)?
R: A bit of both. With certain designers, people will have already shown an interest in it.
H: It’s nice when people come in and buy a piece that we both know is really special, but they’re buying it simply because they like it. And that, in itself, is why we think it’s really special. They’ll just pick it up and say, “I’m buying this jacket.” They don’t care about the tag, the season, the designer, or the fabric. They just put it on, it fits them, and they say, “I’m buying it” because it fits. To strip it all back, that’s the reason we do this – the reason we like it so much. All the details add up to that one moment.
What have you guys been wearing recently?
H: Going back to the wardrobe element, we can both agree that it’s about being able to switch out that trouser, pair it with a jumper, and put it with a shoe – kind of having everything in your wardrobe that can go together. I don’t like to spend too long getting dressed, and after being around clothes for so long, you just know, “OK, I can put that on and feel ready”. It’s also about playing around with silhouettes a bit more. I never would’ve thought I’d be wearing a slightly cuffed or tapered trouser, but now I feel like "This is incredible"
Do you feel there is a most important part of someone’s wardrobe?
R: I think trousers. They can be really overlooked
H: Trousers can do anything. You can wear a plain white t-shirt and a pair of nice trousers and you’re good. I think for trousers, the shape is really important.
How much has people's interest influenced your own, or do you stay true to your own preferences?
H: I think we can honestly say we’ve stuck to it. If you saw the first ten pieces we had in my old flat, it’s just an extension of that now. I’d never buy anything that I think, "Ugh, I don’t like that." There are a lot of brands we don’t buy that we like but not enough to buy it and put it in here.
R: We’re quite fortunate that the other people doing the same thing we are aren’t necessarily carrying our key brands to the extent that we are, and I think everyone respects that. They’re probably facing the same situation – we can’t compete with them, so we’ll stick with our core ethos.
