Nigel Preston: Innovative fashion designer whose King's Road shop Maxfield Parrish grew into an international business

Jean Cocteau's maxim, that style is a simple way of saying complex things, sums up the effortless grace of Nigel Preston's skilful, subtle clothes design , most particularly in sheepskin, suede and leather, that inspired the fashion world for 30 years from the mid-Seventies. He was famous for his experimentation with decorative, painterly techniques, for his exotic colouring on leather, for his exquisite ornamentation and his patient eye for detail – his biannual collection was eagerly anticipated. Where Preston led, Hermès and Gucci followed. That he was not a household name says more about the vagaries and hype of the fashion industry than it does about his creative talents. The most unvain of men, he was a natural innovator.