Clotheshorse. Bicyclist. Brit in New York. We wake up the Jardine designer in his downtown Manhattan apartment-slash-showroom.

“This beats the heck out of the breakfast I’d have when I smoked – just coffee and cigarettes. Not the best way to start the day.”

It’s a rather humid morning when we climb the five flights to Nathan Bogle’s Lower East Side walkup, so when we arrive at the door, our blood is pumping. Bogle answers the door with messy hair and a grin – “did you like the stairs?”

Nathan looks better than most guys at 9:00am, but we can’t fault him for that – modeling is, after all, how he ended up in New York some 16 years ago. Prior to coming to New York, he lived and worked on a farm in Spain, did a stint in the kitchen as a chef in his home country of England, and traveled extensively. In 2002 he, along with fellow Brit Marcus Wainwright, started Rag & Bone. And now, he is three seasons into his own collection – Jardine – named after his great-grandfather. The apartment where we’re standing functions as both a living space and a showroom. Rolling racks line the brick walls.

“I’ve got a lot going this week,” Bogle explains as he pours granola into a bowl. “My uncle is in town with my little cousin who’s never been to New York, so I plan on playing host.” He slices a banana. Asked if he typically eats so healthy, he laughs. “Well this beats the heck out of the breakfast I’d have when I smoked – just coffee and cigarettes. Not the best way to start the day.” He tells us that when he lived in Spain, studying ecological design, everyone on the farm would wake up early to bake bread. “We’d all be kneading dough in a circle, in absolute silence,” he smiles. “It was both weird and cool.”

Bogle’s living room is filled with bikes, and he stands and eats, watching the Tour de France (“my friends don’t really understand it”) on television – a typical routine for him. “I got into cycling back in 2008, but haven’t had much time to do it recently with the new line and all,” he says. “At one point, I was training for Triathlons, but now I’m sure I’d get my ass kicked.” He walks to the bathroom. We question him about his routine. “Well, it’s quite simple really – first the ever important tooth brushing,” he remarks dryly. “Then a bit of water and Kevin Murphy product in my hair.”

So what does a dude with his own collection of clothing wear on the daily? “Generally one of ten T-shirts, one of five button-front shirts, jeans and boots.” He emerges from his bedroom alcove in exactly that. “That’s kind of what the new line is all about – classic go-to pieces that end up staying around in your closet year-after-year.”

“Generally one of ten T-shirts, one of five button-front shirts, jeans and boots.”

After answering a few emails and rifling through some fabric swatches, Nathan is off to the Standard East hotel to start a day of meetings. We follow him down the stairs and out the front door. There is construction going on when we hit the street– the noise bordering on deafening. Nathan glides easily through the chaos, crosses the street and walks ahead purposefully, shoulders back. A busy man in a very busy city.