I got the chance to talk to Dion Nash, former cricketer and founder of Triumph & Disaster to find out more.
Where did the inspiration to start the brand come from?
I used these products in my past life playing cricket, they were women’s brands and products but I used them to protect myself from the sun and to help me to concentrate and feel fresh. Later, I decided I wanted to start my own brand after seeing a guy in a meeting pull out a women’s hand cream, I thought I need to make something that guy can pull out and not lose face. So I set myself the task of creating a skincare range that could fall from my gym bag and I would not feel the need to sweep it back in before anyone saw it.
The name comes from a poem - At about 13 years of age my father gave me a framed copy of Rudyard Kipling’s poem ‘IF’. The poem is about a father offering advice to his son on what it means to be a man. It is about humility, honour, risk and reward. Values that would help mould a brand capable of reminding us that acts of ritual and preparation are worthy endeavours and that being well presented is something of which to be proud. Job done.
For those grooming who are just dipping their toes in the water, where would you recommend they start?
Go Natural - and get a great shave cream and moisturiser. From there the world is your oyster.
Can you give us a top skincare tip you’ve discovered throughout the years?
It’s hard to choose one, so here are my must-do tips:
Exfoliate, it will change your life. Drink lots of water, both for concentration but also for hydrated body and skin. Moisturise. Don’t get fooled into using a moisturiser with SPF in it - it’s bollocks, lazy, marketing team-driven product. If you are to moisturise, use a clean natural moisturiser that is designed to treat and enhance the skin. Don’t compromise. If you want sun protection then use a broad spectrum - natural sun block (physical not chemical) and put this over the top of moisturised skin.
What’s your daily grooming routine?
It’s a bit of a meditation but it goes like this… Cleanse (either Ritual face cleanser, or Rock ‘n Roll Scrub), Shave - in the shower using our Old fashioned Shave cream, Moisturise with Gameface right after drying off from the shave. Hydrate with a glass of water, and I then treat myself to a black coffee.
Do you carry any products around with you?
Not really, but they are always kind of at hand. I never travel without products and use them everyday, but I don’t have one on my person as I type this.
If you had to recommend one cannot-live-without product from the T&D range, what would it be?
It’s got to be the Gameface moisturiser - it’s the best there is and it makes skin feel so awesome, it really is a great product, I use it everyday.
—————
Triumph & Disaster: the verdict
For me, the hero product of the entire range has to be the Rock & Roll Suicide face scrub. It’s incredible. I actually use it like a mask, I apply it to my face and leave for around 10 - 15 minutes then I remove it like a scrub, in circular motions to remove the dead skin cells. It will leave your skin feeling amazing.
My only con for the collection is the packaging. I don’t think it represents the quality of the product well enough and doesn’t look that great on your bathroom shelf - what can I say? I’m an aesthetic whore. The moisturiser, for example, is a great, light and quick-absorbing lotion, but it’s metal tube packaging means after a few uses it’s dented and looks bad and it easily breaks and leaks. It’s also hard to get the right amount out and I always ended up with more than I needed.
Packaging aside, Triumph & Disaster offers amazing men’s grooming products that are more than worth your time.
Discover Triumph & Disaster for yourself at asos.com
If you have used any of the range, get in touch and let me know what you thought!
Welcome!
