A Sit-Down With: Sage Toda-Nation of YMC

It’s rare that a brand uses a call to action as the name, rather than referencing a person, place, or object. However, there are certain people who think some of us must create, that creativity is not merely something that can be tapped into, but is, rather, a state of being. This is the philosophy of Jimmy Collins and Fraser Moss, and the reason they launched their brainchild YouMustCreate, in 1995. What drove them wasn’t necessarily the idea of creating a clothing line, but their constant ideation on creativity itself. 

The pair were not “fashion guys” in the typical sense, but they were heavily entrenched in the post-punk DIY scene of London at the time. With their natural connection to this world of counter-culture, pulsing music and progressive art, it informed a more honest approach to the design language of YMC. Collins and Moss weren’t concerned with following trends, their focus was on crafting a line that was functional, and understated. Garments were inspired by details from workwear and military uniforms, but retooled with versatility and the lifestyles of their community in mind. 

Through the rest of the 90’s and into the new millenia, they found success as a niche, if-you-know-you-know icon of these cultural movements and the British identity. After years of developing the brand together, Moss would tragically pass in 2023. Now missing a co-founder, friend and creative anchor, Jimmy and the team rallied to continue to tell their story, in the spirit that Fraser would want. A new design lead would be necessary to help steer the project, and there to answer the call was rising star, Sage Toda-Nation. 

At just the age of 27, Sage is already pulling up with quite the pedigree. Launching his namesake brand, Sage Nation, pretty much from his room during COVID, he definitely fit the DIY values of the brand. His penchant for making clean garments with clever functional detailing, being based in London, and passions for music and art also helped make this a natural decision for everyone. Now, more than 30 years after YMC’s launch, there’s a new perspective, with Sage infusing his eye and energy into the spirit of the brand as it continues to evolve. 

With the 90s counterculture heritage and the creative direction with some Gen-Z flair, the brand is in a great place in 2026, tapping into their roots with respect and continuously pushing it into the future. With all this being said, we are excited to present the brand for the first time at RENDEZ-VOUS STORE. In the build-up to our first drop with the brand, a few weeks ago we had the opportunity to sit down with Sage himself at their Fashion Week showroom to get a deeper look into how and what he’s doing at YMC, and discuss a bit about his design process, beating the hustle culture and, of course, exchanging some music recs. 

Let’s begin our talk with Sage Toda-Nation of YMC

RDV: We are hyped to have YMC soon at Rendez-Vous. 2025 seemed like a big year for the brand celebrating 30 years, and for you personally! How has it been settling into your role here as head designer, just one year after so many changes? 

STN: It’s been really good. Obviously there’s a lot to multitask and balance — it’s like a juggling act! But we’ve got a really good team at YMC that is used to doing what they do and they’re cemented, really nice people to work with. I think that means that I can come in and bring what I do to the equation without needing to touch the infrastructure, which is a massive benefit. At the beginning, it was also about getting used to the brand, getting used to the heritage and history. As time’s gone on, we’ve started to inject more of my philosophy and what I do into the brand, bit by bit. But, as you know, YMC has always been a brand focused on refining the modern day wardrobe, so each season it’s more of an evolution, not a recreation.

Your response leans into my next question nicely. To you, as the creative director in 2026, what is the ethos of the brand? How would you describe its style? 

From my view, I think of Fraser, who was creative director before me and sadly passed. It’s very much about honouring what his view was for the brand and trying to get into his mind with it. The brand started with a very DIY ethos. It was really rooted in the post-punk era, when people wanted clothes that were utilitarian, sporty, but still looked good, still kind of looked hard. I guess the name “YouMustCreate” is about this sort of you as a person creating your own identity within the world. So it’s also open for interpretation. That’s why we stray away from too many graphics, too much print and no logos, because it’s all about you integrating this into your world. You must create your world. So, aesthetically, it’s very much about looking at core archetypes, trench coats, denims, trucker jackets, military, chore jackets, etc, and it’s about our take on those pieces. I think that’s something which now seems so kind of ‘already done.’ But, we were ahead of the times when it came to that style in the 90s. I think the brands gradually just become more democratic, and over time it appeals to a larger audience, massive age range – grandparents, grandkids, parents, women, men. I think it’s really a brand for the people. For me, it’s bearing that in mind. I think some designers and some brands try not to think about the customer too much. But at YMC, we’re actually thinking about the customer. 

But in that positive sense, where you’re asking, “What does our customer actually want to wear and what would be useful for them?”

Yeah, and “what are those characters we’re building?” It’s not to say that we’re trying to cater towards trends. It’s more about thinking of the guys we know, that are these characters that also exist within the brand’s history. Like a guy who used to go to raves and now he’s got two kids and he lives in East London, you know? 

See, this is also what I wanted to know. Who are some of those archetypal YMC wearers? 

We definitely have a lot of architects, a lot of interior designers. We have a lot of artists. We have a lot of musicians. I think we also have a lot of guys who are just salarymen, you know, office workers, that want to be a bit classic with a twist. So I think with YMC, one thing that’s really important is we always have a slight sense of humour, which is a very British thing. We don’t take ourselves too seriously, but at the same time, we do make really good clothes. 

That seems like what it’s all about, making pieces that last and look good; clothes that you are meant to live your life in.

Exactly, and I think that’s definitely the energy of YMC, especially when I joined. Clothes to live your life in. Jimmy, the owner, embodies that mentality. People are more important than clothes at YMC. You definitely get a feel for that when you work for them. 

I feel like in today’s industry, do you look around sometimes and just think, “Wow, there’s a lot of people costuming, but there’s not a lot of getting dressed for their real life?” It seems like YMC, at least, is trying to push the inverse, and push authenticity a little bit more. 

Well, to me, the best proof of this is that we have people who have worn the brand for a long time, and they still have pieces in their wardrobe from like 20 years ago. That’s the ultimate compliment. I think when you talk to a lot of people about YMC, their memory is about one piece they have in their wardrobe that they’ve grown with in life alongside it. I think with the best brands, that’s often how it is. I’m not trying to do it too gimmicky because the reality is, we do like to ideate a little bit, but we’re very commercial in the sense that we are building out our core range of core products. Generally there are these touch points that you have, your parameters, and you can kind of play with those. Normally about 20% of what we’re doing is that kind of “playing.” We have our cores, like the fact that the brand has been in the UK for a long time, so we are super connected to that heritage. Fraser was really into music, maybe more than he was into clothes. So, that really came into the brand as an influence which is something I try to tap into, using real cultural references when I’m “playing” beyond just the archives of the actual piece. 

Isn’t it funny how people in other professions can sometimes be more influential in our world or just more interesting to look at from a fashion perspective because of that position outside of the ‘industry?’

Yeah, 100%! He was very connected to, for example, Ian Curtis from Joy Division and Mark E. Smith from The Fall, which are two kinds of post-punk people who are really emblematic bands of that time. They dressed very, for lack of a better word, ‘normal.’ Like, they used to come from the office to do their live shows. They had to work in a post office and then would just rock up in their white shirts and pleated trousers and they’d do their show. So I think that’s kind of the vibe. At YMC we will do a very plain shirt and then a nice pair of trousers, but the expression and creativity is rooted in the person who wears it more so. I think that’s what we are as a brand. So we’re not trying to reinvent the wheel with our pieces.

Transitioning to the next subject, you mentioned a bit the juggling between doing YMC and your own brand at the same time. My question is, dude, do you sleep?

Ha ha, I sleep well and I just work Monday to Friday, 9 to 5. When I first started my brand I was on all the time. My brand has now got to a point where it’s a bit more steady with a good team. The hard things are being looked after, and I’ve hustled the hustle to a certain extent. Obviously, it’s still a grind, but much less chaotic. Also I’ve learned that, really, if you can’t do your job within the 9 to 5, five days a week, then something’s not right. You’re either procrastinating or doing the wrong thing.

Very sage, Sage. Then, when you are getting into work mode, especially before starting a collection, walk me through your process. Where does it start for you? 

It starts with a couple references that we might bring in in a more general way, and then it’s all about going back to reference pieces that I’ve sourced and love. I also dip into my personal archive: my styles that I’ve done since day one. I like to look very introspectively at what we’re actually doing. I’ll look at five pieces we did 20 years ago at YMC, and ask how we can build that into 2026? I try not to look outside too much for YMC. I think I like to work within restrictions. So if you said, “Oh, this season we can only use three fabrics,” I’d love that. 

It’s interesting that you say that, I agree that sometimes stripping away can lead to even more creativity. As someone who’s pushing the minimalist design but also trying to keep it interesting, how do you find balance?

I think stripping away can definitely make you more focused. It makes you notice things you didn’t see before. The way I work is very much on the body. I’ve worked with really good pattern cutters and worked really closely with them. We look at the most finite measurements of where to place a pocket, where to place a button, where to place a stitching. So, I guess when things get really minimal, then there’s even more attention required on details. In Japan, there’s a thing called the ‘One Point’ rule where you have one point of interest and build around it. I love that and think that is within YMC’s DNA. If you look back at the early days, it is quite a one point kind of brand.

We’ve talked a little bit about your cultural references, what’s been on the mood board specifically for YMC in 2026? Any particular musicians, references, photographers, books, etc?

I love to get into the old magazine shoots that other magazines did for YMC back in the day. We’ve got a massive archive of hundreds of magazines featuring editorials with the brand. The images are just amazing. This last season, Spring/Summer 26, the ‘muse’ was Leos Carax, the French film director. We were looking a lot at his personal style. Mark E. Smith, the lead singer of The Fall is another inspiration in general.

Speaking of music, what’s been on the playlist recently?  Because I know music is so important to the brand, and to yourself. 

I was listening to the Stone Roses this week. I really move around to like… well, should we just look at my recent listens? I go everywhere. I went from Nina Simone, to 50 Cent, to The Gap Band, to Nick Cave, some Chaka Khan, then Giggs, back to Joni Mitchell, Hype Williams, and then Kelly Moran. I don’t know if you know her, but she’s an amazing pianist, very out of this world, psychedelic sound. I love a lot of Ethiopian jazz acts, or like, Suicide, but, I also grew up listening to drill and trap music. I love Arthur Russell as well. I don’t really know anyone in our generation that sticks to one ‘sound.’

Such an eclectic mix, I really dig it. Our interaction now with music and culture has changed so much. When YMC started, we had distinct subcultures and looks to go with certain styles of music. Now, with social media and our generation growing up with streaming, everyone has their own personal mix of references. Do you think of this shift at all while designing for the brand? 

We don’t worry about that. We are going to keep doing what we do, the brand existed before me and you, and it existed outside of the internet-dominated world. If social media and everything were to go away right now, we would still have everything we built to fall back on. So, we are going to keep pushing our look, and keep on creating.