Home › Magazine

Chris Nick and the Art of Looking Unbothered

From tuxedos to T-shirts, designer Chris Nick breaks down how his uniform moves from day to night. He talks about elegance, attitude, and why formality deserves a life after sunset.

By Sean Castelo III January 30, 2026

This is an excerpt from MEGA February-March 2026 issue’s Designer Profile.

You’ve built a recognizable dress code around sharp tailoring and classic silhouettes. Where do you see that code evolving?

Evolving? Well, I would never fix something that’s not broken. If we’re speaking generally, internationally, I think tailoring is there. I just wish the market in Manila would be more interested in tailoring because I think aesthetics in Manila are rather commercial. It’s not really my style. When I was younger, my aesthetic was a little bit more on the commercial side with the whole frou-frou whatever. But, growing up, I realized it’s not me. But, back to tailoring and how I see it evolve, I just really hope it would be more welcomed in Manila.

^{“when you’re put together, then you’re well dressed. simple as that,” chris nick states.}

How consciously were you designing for that crossover between formality and nightlife?

When I design, it really just revolves around the life that I live. To me, nightlife and the whole evening wear, they go hand in hand. There’s just something about the glamour of it all that I love so much, and not the glamour where it’s over the top. I’m a very minimalist, clean, elegant guy. I like things streamlined. I think it’s crazy how people associate me with nightlife as well. I think it’s because I’m out all the time.

^{“I really just design based on how I feel and how I want women to dress,” CHRIS NICK CONFESSES. “Maybe in a way that you tweak something in terms of the figure of tailoring. I think it’s more of the wearer.”}

How did you soften the rules of tailoring without losing its authority?

I don’t really think of things like that. I really just design based on how I feel and how I want women to dress. Maybe in a way that you tweak something in terms of the figure of tailoring. I think it’s more of the wearer. I remember, I think it was Yves Saint Laurent who said, “I am only as good as the women who wear me.” So, let’s say with Renée. If I put her in a tuxedo, it’s sharp, but in a way, she’s able to make it soft. But that’s because she’s a woman. I like that contrast. I like the whole juxtaposition thing

^{ACCORDING TO CHRIS NICK: “More than just clothes, it’s really the lifestyle and how you live. Simplicity is always uniform. Everything’s polished: the same double espresso over ice. Everything’s just clean, crisp.”}

You’ve always favored restraint over excess. How do you keep classic shapes feeling charged rather than predictable?

I never really try; everything just comes naturally. Let’s say I love an oversized jacket over a form-fitting top. I think that transcends even to my day wear. Right now, I’m wearing a leather jacket that’s three times, four times larger than my usual size. I’m wearing a top that’s one size smaller than how I would normally wear things. I think I like that contrast. In relation to the question before this, I think I also play around with silhouettes.I play around with the form of the female figure. Then, sometimes I’ll cover it up with a very masculine overall.

^{“WHEN YOU’RE WELL PUT TOGETHER, YOU’RE WELL DRESSED. SIMPLE AS THAT…I THINK YOU’RE WELL-DRESSED WHEN YOU DON’T TRY. IT’S REALLY JUST NOT TO TRY. JUST BE YOURSELF,” CHRIS NICK SAYS ABOUT DRESSING WELL.}

Was there a specific moment—night, place, or person—that made you rethink how formalwear should move and behave?Tom Ford. I remember growing up and I was just really so obsessed with him. I wanted to be as polished as him. I wanted to live like him for some reason. Another person who just screams formalwear to me is the late Giorgio Armani. Every time I walk into their store and every time I buy their clothes, I always feel this sense of elegance but at the same time authority. I think that’s what women feel when they wear me. I remember every time I would have a client come in, she’d say, “It’s really different when you wear Chris Nick.” I think I was able to achieve what I felt when I’m wearing Tom Ford or Armani. Like I was able to transcend that to Chris Nick so people who wear Chris Nick feel the same way I feel when I wear Tom Ford and Armani. I think it’s more like how I present the brand in myself. More than just clothes, it’s really the lifestyle and how you live. Simplicity is always uniform. Everything’s polished: the same double espresso over ice. Everything’s just clean, crisp. Even with the food that I eat, it’s just simple and direct to the point. Again, I don’t like overcomplicating things. I find it so crazy how people try to make simple things complicated. I think it’s a joke.

Read more on Chris Nick’s design philosophy in MEGA’s February-March 2026 issue. Now available on Readly, Magzter, Press Reader and Zinio.

Photography by EXCEL PANLAQUE of KLIQ. Styled by QUAYN PEDROSO. Art Direction by TROY NONATO. Makeup by ARIA ORTEGA. Hair by MATT LEDESMA. Model RENEE HARTSHORNE Fashion Associate KRISSIE TERUEL. Produced by THESSMAR LECTURA.