StyleNest spend five minutes with menswear designer Kit Neale to talk about his latest collaboration with Sky, lobster prints and more.

A self-confessed David Attenborough addict, Kit Neale talks to StyleNest about his latest collaboration with Sky and being a part of designing a limited edition designer box to help celebrate the launch of the new Sky+HD 2TB with built in Wi-Fi. Alongside designers, Giles Deacon, Sophie Dahl and Roland Mouret, menswear designer Kit Neale will launch his lobster inspired box in the run up to Christmas for a stylish way to watch the box.

You have collaborated with Sky along with Roland Mouret, Giles Deacon and Sophie Dahl to design a new collection of designer limited edition Sky+HD 2TB boxes. What was your inspiration behind your design?

Our starting point was thinking about the genre of TV that we’re most inspired by. We are complete TV junkies but ultimately I am a nature doc fanatic. Anything to do with David Attenborough gives me goose bumps. We decided to rework our Rockney Lobster print which seemed appropriate and besides how fun is it to plaster an iconic household item such as the Sky box with a load of lobsters? Who would have thought it?

You are obviously a fan of Sky, what shows have you got set on the box to record?

We have got hours of series records to go through. The shows we have recorded are a real mix. For the lazy days its all about Honey Boo Boo and Border Patrol, theres a ton of incredible HBO series and then of course there’s the Galapagos series with David Attenborough. Too much.

You have just teamed up with Sky, can we expect to see any more exciting partnerships for the new year?

We are always looking for fun and interesting projects to work on and the more unusual the better. We love the idea of stamping our Kit Neale philosophy and insane prints on to the most unusual place which is why we were so excited to work with Sky to design a special limited edition Sky+HD 2TB box. There is a lot more in the pipeline but for now I will keep these under wraps.

You are known for your colourful statement prints which contrasts very much from your experience working for Gareth Pugh. How did working here influence you?

I was very young when I got the opportunity to work with Gareth Pugh – it was a real eye opener. I have a completely different aesthetic but I hold much admiration for Gareth. He has created an incredibly strong brand identity which is something we are conscious to create with Kit Neale, allowing us to work on exciting projects like the one we have just completed with Sky.

How would you describe the Kit Neale man?

The Kit Neale man is he who enjoys the arts, travel, food, TV, film and fashion. I guess he is your typical young ambitious urbanite, he works a lot, always on the go and takes great pride in his appearance with which he wants to make a statement from. He is in many ways me – which is why it was such a great project to work on the Sky box – a TV lover who rarely gets to watch TV or movies but has a wide variety of programmes at the tip of his fingers on the box.

What is your statement piece this AW13?

I’m obsessed with our burger shirt and jeans at the moment. Worn head-to-toe, obvs.

Who is your greatest influence?

I seriously cannot pin this down to one person or thing. From fashion there is Ray Petri, Moschino, Gianni Versace and Rei Kawakubo to name a few. In art I am obsessed with Grayson Perry, the Chapman Brothers, Jeremy Deller, Sarah Lucas etc. And then there’s Sir David Attenborough who was the influence in our Sky box design. It might sound naff but influences are endless.

You’re a Londoner through and through. Describe your ideal day off?

Day off, you’re joking right, I think Christmas is my only day off. Me and Caspar, who I run the business with, rarely get to take a day off – it’s usually just a morning or an evening. We love to squeeze in brekkie somewhere – the super trendy Hoi Polloi is living up to its hype at the moment and then followed by a trip to a gallery. Or if it’s an evening, then of course we just slump in front of the box.

Can you let our readers know any secret haunts of London you like to eat and shop at?

Like I just mentioned the Hoi Polloi is pretty cool at the moment. It’s like being in a 1970s cruise ship or a fancy airport lounge. The place has just opened in the Ace hotel and there is a lot of hype about it but it is definitely worth it. The food from Bistroteque is awesome. In terms of shops, get down to Opening Ceremony. They are one of our nicest stockists and hold an incredible range of product. Our other new stockists come 2014 are Machine-A, in Soho and Huh in Dalston – both amazing small independents with fantastic selections.

Who would you love to dress?

We can’t deny how incredible it would be to dress someone like John Malcovich who I idolise or MIA who is like the epitome of cool but ultimately it gives us more pride seeing someone we don’t know wearing an item of Kit Neale styled in their own way.

Describe your day-to-day style?

If I have a meeting I will make an effort otherwise its whatever is on the rail. Usually a piece of Kit Neale as that’s all we seem to own. Because of the Sky box collaboration I have been obsessed with my Rockney Lobster jeans and shirt again.

What advice would you give women dressing for the party season?

I don’t think I can advise anyone on how to dress. I think its up to the individual, whatever she feels good in.

What other designers do you most admire?

I think we admire all designers. It is a tough business and an incredibly stressful and tiring industry. We lift our hats off to anyone who survives it, especially the nice folk. The older legends who influence Kit Neale are the likes off Moschino, Gianni Versace and Rei Kawakubo and then there’s people like Kim Jones, Christopher Raeburn and Christopher Shannon who I admire for all different reasons.

What is your motto?

I stole this quote from Rei Kawakubo who’s one of the designers I mentioned before: ‘I became a designer to make a living’.

Inspired by the wide variety of Catch Up TV available in Sky’s On Demand service, menswear designer Kit Neale has designed a limited edition Sky+HD 2TB box. Available from: sky.com/designerboxes

Prices start at £149 for existing Sky customers and new customers can get a Sky+HD 2TB box for £49 if they take it with a new Entertainment Extra+ subscription otherwise it is £249. Each box within the collection is priced at £199 for existing Sky customers with Entertainment Extra+ or paying £10.25 per month for a HD subscription or £249 for new customers joining without the Entertainment Extra+ package.