james dyson yacht

• International edition
• Australia edition
• Europe edition

From Edward VIII to James Dyson: the yacht that tells a tale of British wealth

The fortunes of industry and a handful of ultra-rich individuals are woven through the history of the Nahlin

I n the early years of this century, soon after he began moving production of his bagless vacuum cleaner from Wiltshire to south-east Asia , James Dyson bought a superb yacht. The Nahlin is exemplary in the beauty of its lines and instructive in its history, though how much of this history Dyson understands or relishes is hard to know. Despite spending a fortune (at least £25m) on its restoration, Dyson has never talked publicly about his yacht, no more than he has about his purchase of Singapore’s most expensive flat (£43m) and its sale soon after, at a loss. For a time, a kind of omertà prevailed about the vessel’s ownership among its team of restorers, though to own and care for such an elegant piece of naval architecture would surely be no shame.

What Dyson certainly knows is that it was on the Nahlin that King Edward VIII and Mrs Wallis Simpson shed any discretion and “came out” as a couple – a relationship reported across the world, though not at the time in Britain – precipitating the crisis that ended with the king’s abdication a few months later, in December 1936. “The cruise of the Nahlin” became an inevitable chapter in any telling of the event, though how the king came to be aboard such a mysteriously named vessel tended to be overlooked. In fact, the name is said to have Native American origins, and reportedly means “fleet of foot” – the yacht’s figurehead wears a chieftain’s headdress – and the king was aboard because the Foreign Office, worried by social unrest in France, had warned against his original plan to rent a villa there.

So instead he rented the Nahlin, to avoid the fuss that a voyage in the royal yacht, the Victoria and Albert, would create and perhaps also because the Nahlin, commissioned only six years earlier, appealed to his appetite for cocktail modernity. Fuss, however, was unavoidable. At Šibenik, the Dalmatian port where the king and Mrs Simpson boarded the yacht, an exuberant crowd of 20,000 turned up and (thanks to reports in the American press) showed as much interest in her as in him; at sea, two Royal Navy destroyers, the Grafton and the Glowworm, accompanied the Nahlin wherever she went – a leisurely August progress down the Adriatic, through the Corinth canal to the Greek islands, and eventually to Istanbul. The “nanny-boats”, as Lady Diana Cooper called them; she and a few other prominent society figures were also aboard, as well as a crew around 60-strong.

Of course, the term yacht is misleading. No sails have ever been involved. The Nahlin, like its bland modern equivalents, was a yacht only in the sense that its sole purpose was its owner’s pleasure, the owner being in this case a Lady Yule. Launched in 1930 from the Clydebank shipyard of John Brown & Co – builder of celebrated liners such as Cunard’s two Queens – it measures 300ft in length and was originally powered by four steam turbines. Characteristically of the steam yacht, of which the Nahlin was among the very last examples, its hull preserves elements of the sailing ship, with a curved clipper bow and a counter stern, each stretching well beyond the waterline. The shape and colour of steam yachts – white hull, cream funnel – made people think of swans. Their costs and months of idleness meant they were an indulgence that only the richest magnates on either side of the Atlantic could afford: JP Morgan, Cornelius Vanderbilt, Sir Thomas Lipton.

And Lady Yule? She was thought to be the richest widow in England. How had she come by her money? Jute, was the short answer. A longer one involves a story of British innovation and industrial expansion overseas that Dyson might recognise, beginning in the 1820s when Dundee manufacturers began to look for an alternative to hemp in the making of sacking, rope and sailcloth. Jute was cheap and reliably available from Bengal in British India, but it was tough and brittle and broke easily when it was spun or woven. After years of experiment, it was successfully made pliable by the application of whale oil, of which Dundee as a whaling port had no shortage.

The demand for jute fabric and jute rope boomed, and Dundee enjoyed a near monopoly until the 1870s, when British industrialists began to open jute mills in Bengal itself because, as economic historian Morris D Morris has pointed out, “jute manufacturing was not a complicated process [and] cheap labour was a very great advantage”. Bengal had five jute mills in 1870 and 69 jute mills in 1914, as cheaper Indian-made jute conquered foreign markets previously served by Dundee, and exports of jute cloth from India grew 272 times over the same period; even better was to come with the first world war, when the word “sandbag” must have sounded like a ringing cash register in the inner ear of every Indian jute trader.

The Yule family benefited enormously. Annie Henrietta (Lady) Yule was the daughter of Andrew Yule, the son of a small-town draper in Scotland who arrived in Kolkata (then Calcutta) in 1863 as an agent representing several British firms, and whose family eventually owned tea estates, coalmines, cotton and flour mills, railways, and 2,400 square miles of productive land – as well as the jute mills that Andrew Yule’s nephew and successor, Sir David Yule, had taken an especial interest in expanding. Sir David was a shy workaholic who rarely left Kolkata. Aged 42, he married another Yule, his cousin Annie Henrietta. When he died in 1928, soon after ordering his steam yacht, the Times described him as“one of the wealthiest men, if not the wealthiest man, in the country”.

Where did it all go? Lady Yule and her daughter Gladys made a long and expensive world cruise in the Nahlin in the early 1930s. She invested heavily and sometimes unwisely in the British film industry; she opened a stud farm. She had, in the words of the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, “strong religious opinions, a sharp tongue, and imperious habits”. Her attempt to force teetotalism on the Nahlin’ s crew was probably not a success. At any rate she sold the ship to King Carol II of Romania in 1937, after which the Nahlin disappeared from the map of British interests – missing, presumed dead – until an English yacht broker, Nicholas Edmiston, discovered it moored in the Danube as a floating restaurant in the 1990s. It passed briefly through the ownership of another Brexit-supporting tycoon, Sir Anthony Bamford, before Dyson bought it in 2006.

This week, thanks to the wonder of digital ship location, I traced the yacht’s present whereabouts to the Blohm+Voss shipyard in Hamburg; it had reached there from the Caribbean via Gibraltar and Falmouth. Blohm+Voss spent millions of Dyson’s money when the yacht was first restored and re-engined, and it may be there now for its annual overhaul. The shipyard is old and distinguished, and still fills the harbour with the sounds of building and repair work. They even build luxury yachts there; the clients include Roman Abramovich and Vladimir Putin.

Nothing remains of the Nahlin’s birthplace at Clydebank, apart from a large crane that stands useless at the river’s edge. Ships, like bagless vacuum cleaners and jute, are made elsewhere.

Ian Jack is a Guardian columnist

• James Dyson
• Shipping industry

Most viewed

Sir James Dyson's luxury yacht in Cornwall after Boris Johnson text message controversy

The 300ft Nahlin which has turned up in Falmouth was previously part of King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson's abdication romance

• 17:18, 23 APR 2021
• Updated 09:02, 24 APR 2021

Our weekend morning emails feature the very best news and exclusive content from our team of reporters

We have more newsletters

Vacuum billionaire Sir James Dyson may well have scarpered to Cornwall to escape the fallout from ‘Textgate’ as his 300ft yacht has been spotted in Falmouth harbour.

One of Britain’s most prominent businessmen has been caught up in what the Labour Party has called “new Tory sleaze” after texts between him and Prime Minister Boris Johnson about tax and the provision of ventilators were made public.

Mr Johnson has said he will publish his text messages and “makes absolutely no apology” for the exchanges with Mr Dyson promising to “fix” tax status for the firm to help build ventilators.

Number 10 sources have accused the PM’s former senior advisor Dominic Cummings of leaking the text messages.

A trip to sunny Cornwall can fix most problems and this might be what Mr Dyson is hoping as his luxury yacht Nahlin is currently in Falmouth , moored on the harbour’s Cross Roads buoy.

You can stay up to date on the top news and events near you with CornwallLive’s FREE newsletters – enter your email address at the top of the page.

Launched in 1930, she is one of the last large steam yachts constructed in the UK having been built by John Brown & Company at Clydebank and was constructed immediately before the RMS Queen Mary.

In 1936 Nahlin was chartered by King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson for a cruise in the Adriatic Sea, photos from which sparked rumours of the impending abdication. Informal photographs of Edward and Simpson on board together during the cruise were not published in Britain but became front-page news in America.

The yacht was then bought by King Carol of Romania in 1937 and later became a floating restaurant in the country.

Sir James purchased the yacht from Sir Anthony Bamford, chairman of JCB, in 2006. The inventor spent five years comprehensively rebuilding and restoring it and the ship was recommissioned in 2010 as the Nahlin and registered again in Glasgow, Scotland.

The name Nahlin is taken from a Native American word meaning "fleet of foot" and the yacht has a figurehead depicting a Native American wearing a feathered headdress beneath the bowsprit.

She was originally furnished with six en-suite staterooms for guests, a gymnasium, a ladies' sitting room with sea views on three sides, and a library.

More stories from Cornwall:

Letting agent with 100 enquires per home says she dreads advertising a place

Residents on new Wainhomes estate waiting nearly two years for defects to be fixed

• Boris Johnson
• Most Recent

• Yachting World
• Digital Edition

Nahlin visits the River Dart

• July 19, 2010

One of the world's finest privately owned yachts - understood to be owned by vacuum cleaner entrepreneur James Dyson - was a visitor to the River Dart last weekend

This is Nahlin, recently re-built by Blohm + Voss in Germany and pictured last week end on the River Dart in Devon. The 300ft long yacht was originally built for Lady Annie Henrietta Yule in 1930 by the John Brown shipyard and was later owned by the Romanian Royal Family. She was also chartered in the 1930s by King Edward VIII and used by him and Mrs Wallis Simpson.

Nahlin was ‘discovered’ some years ago lying on the River Danube by yachting historian Dr. William Collier, who is the owner of the G.L. Watson naval architect firm responsible for Nahlin’s original design. The company has done much of the cataloguing and re-design work necessary to turn Nahlin into a yacht with a modern inventory.

Yacht broker Nicholas Edmiston arranged to have the vessel, which was originally steam-powered, shipped first to Falmouth, then to Liverpool and finally to Germany where the re-fit work has been underway for some years.

It has been reported that Nahlin is now owned by James Dyson of vacuum cleaner fame.

• Email newsletter
• MY MOODBOARD

James Dyson retrofits classic steam yacht

• Image tools
• Email image
• Previous Page

Sir James Dyson, the renowned English industrial designer has refitted a 300 feet classic steam yacht named Nahlin.

The 1930 steam yacht Nahlin was completely restored at Blohm + Voss (B+V), a German yacht building firm. The yacht has been refitted with new diesel engines and period-correct paneling and moldings.

Sir James Dyson, who is best known as the inventor of the Dual Cyclone bagless vacuum cleaner, has refurbished the classic yacht and has re-launched it. Nahlin was originally designed by G.L. Watson for a British heiress and was later owned by the Romanian Royal Family. The 1,574 ton Nahlin, which is 91.4m in length and can hold 58 crew and 351 passengers, was built for Lady Annie Henrietta Yule in 1930.

The historic super yacht was involved in the abdication of King Edward VIII, and has spent much of the last 70 years as a floating restaurant on the river Danube until it was reportedly bought by Dyson. It is believed that Dyson has shelled out GBP25 million ($38.7 million) for the retrofit project.

!{Model.Description}

!{Model.Body}

RELATED NEWS

Form & function

Lighting Focus: Growing, Glowing

Related projects.

SLC Dormy Care Communities

SLC Crystal Cruises

Tarkett helps London Waste and Recycling Board close the loop

Discover content from our architecture and design magazines

Email Newsletter

Subscribe to our free weekly email newsletter

Progressive Media International Limited. Registered Office: 40-42 Hatton Garden, London, EC1N 8EB, UK. Copyright 2024, All rights reserved.

Login or Create account

Forgotten password

• AI Generator

Sir James Dyson's Motor Yacht, Nahlin, Moors Off Cornish Coast

• Standard editorial rights
• Custom rights
• James Dyson - Industrial Designer ,
• Business Finance and Industry ,
• Businessman ,
• Colour Image ,
• G7 Summit ,
• Lifestyles ,
• No People ,
• Politics and Government ,

Yacht, IMO 1009417

• VesselFinder
• Miscellaneous

The current position of NAHLIN is at Aegean Sea reported 43 hours ago by AIS. The vessel is en route to the port of Marmaris, Turkey , and expected to arrive there on May 16, 13:00 . The vessel NAHLIN (IMO 1009417, MMSI 235075032) is a Yacht built in 1930 (94 years old) and currently sailing under the flag of United Kingdom (UK) .

Position & Voyage Data

Map position & weather, recent port calls, vessel particulars.

NAHLIN current position and history of port calls are received by AIS. Technical specifications, tonnages and management details are derived from VesselFinder database. The data is for informational purposes only and VesselFinder is not responsible for the accuracy and reliability of NAHLIN data.

• Recent Photos
• The Commons
• Flickr Galleries
• Camera Finder
• Flickr Blog
• The Print Shop
• Prints & Wall Art
• Photo Books
• Stats Dashboard
• Get Auto-Uploadr

Sir James Dyson´s Nahlin in Öresund

Sir james dyson´s 300 ft (91.4 m) motor yacht nahlin passed by at noon today on its way to the island of ven. unfortunately the light was not ideal, but i hope you can still get an impression of how beautiful this classic yacht is. nahlin was sailing very close to the danish coast in öresund. "nahlin is a luxury yacht and one of the last of three large steam yachts constructed in the uk. she was built for lady yule, heiress of sir david yule, and was launched in 1930.[3] she is owned by british industrial entrepreneur sir james dyson, who purchased her from sir anthony bamford, chairman of jcb.[4][5] the name nahlin is taken from a native american word meaning "fleet of foot" and the yacht has a figurehead depicting a native american wearing a feathered headdress beneath the bowsprit." (wikipedia).

• Latest Headlines
• Meghan Markle
• Kate Middleton
• Fashion Finder

Return of the royal love boat: Back in Britain, the yacht on which Edward VIII and his married lover enjoyed a voyage of scandalous hedonism

By Glenys Roberts Updated: 20:24 EDT, 20 July 2010

View comments

Sliding gracefully into Dartmouth harbour yesterday, the sun playing on the lines of its graceful white hull, a 250ft yacht dwarfed the fleets of smaller boats and drew the attention of hundreds on the quayside.

This remarkable craft is the property of inventor Sir James Dyson. Now, after a major refit overseas, she has returned to Britain in tip-top shape for the first time in 70 years.

But the Nahlin is not just the plaything of a rich man. Though few observers in Devon were aware of the fact, this is the same boat that served as the backdrop to an extraordinary royal drama played out as the country became convulsed by a constitutional crisis

Glorious: Returned to Britain in tip-top shape for the first time in 70 years.

It was on the Nahlin that the newly succeeded King Edward VIII chose to take his married lover Mrs Simpson on an extended cruise around Eastern Europe in the summer of 1936, to the horror of the government.

During the trip, they cavorted with the leaders of several Nazi-supporting countries, drank vast amounts of alcohol and generally made a spectacle of themselves.

Within months, Edward had abdicated and thrown the future monarchy into chaos. 

In the years that followed, the Nahlin was bought and sold several times until it ended up at its lowest point - as a floating restaurant on the Danube.

Now, however, it has been returned to its former glories, but the shadow of that royal scandal will forever be associated with it.

As Prince of Wales in the Thirties, the new king had enjoyed a series of affairs with older women.

A restless young man who was not allowed to pursue a career in the Armed Forces because of his high-born destiny, he capitalised instead on his good looks and celebrity status.

In short, he was just the sort of person who felt completely at home on a luxury yacht. King George, who knew his son's frailties well, always said Edward had never grown out of adolescence and predicted the prince would ruin himself within a year of his death.

Luxury class: Mrs Simpson, above, and her lover King Edward, below, shocked the nation with their on-board romance

As long as his mistresses were society wives, everyone turned a blind eye, but then he met Mrs Simpson and his father's worst fears were realised.

Introduced to the future king by another of his women friends, Lady Thelma Furness, Wallis Simpson had already divorced one husband and was married to her second, ship broker Ernest Simpson.

But soon Edward had climbed into bed with her, though he never dared tell his father she was his mistress.

When George V died in January 1936, his son watched through a window in the company of the still married Mrs Simpson as he himself was proclaimed king. It was an unforgivable lapse of protocol.

Any hope the 42-year-old new king might mend his ways was dispelled when, a month later, he announced he was taking Wallis, 40, on a cruise aboard the Nahlin - and that her husband would not be going with them.

The latest word in luxury, the ship - built on the Clyde in 1930 by the then richest woman in Britain, Lady Annie Henrietta Yule - boasted six guest staterooms with ensuite bathrooms, a special ladies' sitting room, a gym and a library.

That is until the king had the books removed to provide extra space for the alcohol he planned to take on board.

Worse was to come. With war on the horizon, Edward even planned to start the cruise in Venice, part of Mussolini's fascist Italy.

The Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden finally managed to dissuade him from this course of action, but he was soon blundering on his insensitive way.

The Nahlin was perfectly equipped for long, ocean-going cruises, yet the couple restricted their movements to Eastern Europe, which provided more cause for blushes. Indeed, the king managed to embarrass Britain with a series of visits to Nazi-supporting states.

When they stopped off in Yugoslavia, the country's Regent, Prince Paul, organised a motorcade that sped across the countryside scattering peasants in its wake - behaviour which, once again, horrified the Foreign Office.

Meanwhile, in Istanbul, the couple were greeted by dictator Kemal Ataturk, who treated Wallis as though she were already married to the king.

And when they cruised down the Danube to Budapest, they abandoned all pretence of behaving appropriately.

In the Hungarian capital, Wallis showed off her gipsy dancing until the small hours and the king took over the bar-tending in the Ritz Hotel. Then, after a heavy drinking session, he proceeded to shoot out a row of street lights along the embankment to demonstrate his marksmanship.

Before the era of the paparazzi, most people were unaware of the couple's exuberant behaviour: we now know that this included driving 3,000 golf balls into the Mediterranean to practise their golf swings.

Indeed, their own photograph albums reveal just how they be-sported themselves on board while back home everyone worried about whether the country, never mind the monarchy, would survive.

The king, wearing a gold chain on his bare chest, looked every inch the continental roue. Rarely seen without a cigarette dangling from his mouth, he posed in shorts with a striped matelot sweater and oversized sunglasses, while his lover showed off her figure in fashionable one-piece swimming costumes, floppy sunhats and playsuits.

Though they were in the company of friends and, indeed, Edward's equerry John Aird, they had eyes only for each other.

By the time they returned home at the end of the summer, the king's credibility was ruined. In December, he abdicated the throne, married Mrs Simpson and the couple went to live abroad as the Duke and Duchess of Windsor.

The yacht, too, rapidly fell from grace. In 1937, the Nahlin was bought by King Carol of Romania for £120,000 and - renamed the Luceafarul - enjoyed a brief spell of Royal patronage.

But within a year, King Carol was forced into exile and the boat was put to work by the Romanian Ministry of Culture as a charter yacht, sailing museum and finally a floating restaurant on the Danube.

In the years that followed, she was reduced to a wreck, fit only for the breakers' yard and was picked up by a broker for a six-figure sum.

She was then briefly owned by JCB boss Sir Anthony Bamford, before passing into the hands of vacuum cleaner entrepreneur Sir James Dyson, who has paid for a £25 million refit at a German shipyard.

What the future holds for her, we must wait to see, but it surely cannot be as controversial as the summer she spent conveying a king and his most unsuitable lover one step closer to their scandalous marriage.

Share or comment on this article: Return of the royal love boat: Back in Britain, the yacht on which Edward VIII and his married lover enjoyed a voyage of scandelous hedonism

Most watched news videos.

• Moment man jumps from a boat and 'body slams' a orca in New Zealand
• Diddy's former bodyguard makes bombshell new claim about rapper
• Cabin in disarray as passengers disembark from turbulence-hit flight
• Singapore Airlines passenger reveals terror when turbulence hit jet
• Passengers carried out of flight after emergency landing in Bangkok
• Neighbour of woman mauled by XL Bully says never saw the dog on estate
• 'It was chaotic': Airport statement after Singapore Airlines horror
• How music mogul Sean 'Diddy' Combs made himself sound like a victim
• Met Police on scene after woman mauled to death by XL Bully dogs
• Moment Brit tourist is stabbed in front of his wife in Thailand
• Traveller pulls off the wheels of his case to avoid baggage charges
• Britain's sweetheart 'hot podium guy' returns in front of No 10

Share what you think

• Worst rated

The comments below have been moderated in advance.

The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.

We are no longer accepting comments on this article.

• Follow DailyMail
• Subscribe Daily Mail
• Follow @dailymail
• Follow MailOnline
• Follow Daily Mail

• Today's headlines
• What to EAT to get your sex life sizzling again: From sensual salads and the summer fruit that's nature's Viagra to the orgasm booster that everyone has in their fridge…
• Could John Lewis steal Boden's swimwear crown? The High Street retailer gives their range a chic revamp just in time for summer
• Why my 29-year-old son's refusal to leave home has left me seething with frustration - he makes a terrible mess, eats all my food and cramps my sex life
• It can cause anxiety, insomnia and heart problems. That's why we must screen every woman over 40 for this condition, says MARIELLA FROSTRUP - it could save the NHS millions
• Ad Feature Unlock your glow-up: Must-try health, beauty and fashion hacks to help you achieve that springtime radiance!
• 'He asked if he could hold my hand. It just felt natural': Sparks flew on our Blind Date - but will they see each other again?
• JENNI MURRAY: Why on earth do women think it's OK to care for a baby while at work?
• MORE HEADLINES
• DEAR JANE: I sold my mother's home to cover my debts while she was in a hospice. Now she wants to die at home - and I can't bring myself to tell her
• Quirky portrait of Kate Middleton on Tatler's July cover is branded 'dreadful' and 'nothing like the Princess of Wales' by royal fans who say the artist 'should've gone to Specsavers'
• Sex and the City fans left STUNNED by shocking price of Samantha Jones' Hermes Birkin: 'I wish I could go back in time'
• Rarely-seen photos capture A-list celebrities - including sultry Jayne Mansfield, lounging Diane Von Furstenberg and green-thumb Martha Stewart - over the decades
• Should you lie about your sexual past? TRACEY COX reveals why it sometimes pays to keep quiet - as women reveal their experiences with men who couldn't handle the truth
• MOST READ IN DETAIL

• Back to top

Published by Associated Newspapers Ltd

Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group

• Search forums
• Yachting Monthly's Scuttlebutt
• Thread starter sgr143
• Start date 15 May 2021
• 15 May 2021

Active member

From Edward VIII to James Dyson: the yacht that tells a tale of British wealth | Ian Jack . An interesting and (as far as I can tell), well-informed read.  

Well-known member

Yes, I’d read that article this morning; a beautiful ship with an interesting history. I also enjoyed the diversion into the ins and outs of manufacturing jute. It was, of course, the idea of using jute to make parachutes that made the provisioning by air of Slim’s army in the Burma campaign possible. There simply wasn’t enough silk to use traditional parachutes, and the huge capacity of jute production in Calcutta made it a simple solution.  

Bajansailor

LittleSister

I hadn't seen this thread when I posted the same article on the Classic & Wooden Boat forum a few minutes ago. (I blame the rain soaked and very affectionate cat clambering all over me as I try to read the forum.)  

LittleSister said: (I blame the rain soaked and very affectionate cat clambering all over me as I try to read the forum.) Click to expand...

It shows up the current generation of megayachts for the vulgar contraptions that they almost always are.  

johnalison said: It shows up the current generation of megayachts for the vulgar contraptions that they almost always are. Click to expand...

mjcoon said: You'd think that James Dyson would want something in multicoloured plastic... Click to expand...

Talitha G is at St Tropez during Les Voiles most years. She is gorgeous.  

• 16 May 2021

Stemar said: Ah well, back to reality - and my Snapdragon Click to expand...

mjcoon said: I fuzzily recollect my first flotilla Click to expand...

Stemar said: Pub to pub, then? Click to expand...

Other threads that may be of interest

• Practical Boat Owner's Reader to Reader

Members online

• Richborough
• garymalmgren
• Trailer_sailor

Share this page

How James Dyson Built a Hair Care Dynasty From Vacuums

How a British vacuum cleaner company has almost single-handedly transformed the way we dry our hair and become one of the biggest, hottest luxury brands in beauty

Every product on this page was chosen by a Harper's BAZAAR editor. We may earn commission on some of the items you choose to buy.

This devotion isn’t attributable just to the proximity to the Dyson offices; we’re equally obsessed with the brand Stateside. You can find Dyson products at the Well New York or Barry’s (the latter is equipped with the brand’s hair dryers and air-purifying fans), and in luxury hotel rooms (like at the Equinox Hotel or Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills). Social media is flooded with enthusiastic Dyson reviews. Why are these elite hair tools , which have a hefty price tag of $429 and up, everywhere—and how did Dyson go from vacuum tech to the darling of the beauty industry? First, a little background: Founder and chairman James Dyson launched his company in 1993, after becoming increasingly frustrated with the vacuum options on the market. His solution was the world’s first bagless cyclonic vacuum, which could be cleaned easily, without constantly changing filters. But it wasn’t until 2016—decades after producing smarter vacuums, air purifiers, and heaters—that Dyson made his first foray into hair tools.

“Hair is a wonderful category to be in because there are so many problems to solve,” Dyson tells me in his sunlit corner office, designed in the minimalist, functional style we’ve come to expect from the brand. “The complexity of hair is what makes creating in the space such fun.”

Since the introduction of Dyson’s first-ever styling tool, the Supersonic dryer, the company has continually come out with more energy-conscious, better-for-your-hair tools, including the viral Airwrap multistyler in 2018, the Corrale, a cordless flat iron, in 2020, and the Airstrait, a combo dryer and flat iron that simultaneously straightens and dries hair using focused airflow instead of hot plates, in 2023. Now, eight years after first entering the beauty space, Dyson is going back to its roots with the launch of the Supersonic Nural , the next generation of its first dryer. “It was a wonderful surprise,” Dyson says of the brand’s success within the hair category. “Vacuum cleaners are great for conversation at dinner parties, but people get much more excited about beauty products.”

Salon stylists quickly adapted to using Dyson tools, but reported issues with cleaning the filter of the original Supersonic—an integral part of a well-oiled hair dryer. The brand took feedback from pros and launched the Supersonic r —an ultralightweight, easy-to-clean, salon-only dryer—at New York Fashion Week this year. And feedback from consumers went straight into the development of the Supersonic Nural, the brand’s newest innovation and most advanced hair dryer to date.

“We don’t just rely on market research,” Dyson explains. “Everyone at Dyson, from the engineers to the designers, uses our products, so new innovations often start as a problem that a team member personally wants to solve.”

The Nural is a smarter iteration of the Supersonic. One of the biggest changes Dyson made was the creation of scalp-protect mode, which reduces heat as the tool moves closer to your head. There’s also a new sensor that recognizes which attachment is in use and switches the speed and heat accordingly, plus a pause-detect feature, which shuts off the heat when you put it down. Even the Supersonic Nural attachments are more advanced; adding to the brand’s repertoire of specialized attachments is a new diffuser designed to dry and enhance both curls and waves.

After chatting with Dyson, I realize the boom isn’t just the result of a company known for its vacuum cleaners wanting to cash in on the multibillion-dollar hair-care industry. Everyone from the engineer who talks to me about hair follicles for a good half hour to one of the brand’s color specialists (Dyson has a whole team dedicated to perfecting the unique color combinations of every product) seems wholly immersed in moving the future of hair forward. This is what sets Dyson apart from its competitors in the hair-tool space. While a handful of popular dupes of Dyson’s tools have popped up, the company remains ten steps ahead by investing in innovative and scientific research.

When asked about his legacy, Dyson says, “If you were to remember me, I hope it is as someone who was trying to bring new technology into the world to make people healthier and more beautiful. That would be lovely.”

The Dyson Supersonic Nural is available for $499 at dyson.com .

The Edit: Beauty

6 Gorgeous Summer 2024 Hair Trends to Try Now

The Drugstore Vitamin C Serums Experts Swear By

Shop Our Picks: The Best Sunscreen Oils

6 Best Cold Laser Therapy Devices to Use at Home

The Best Budget-Friendly Moisturizers Experts Love

The Best Eye Creams for Wrinkles and Crow's Feet

Jen Aniston Says Rachel Would Use Her New Product

The Best Braiding Hair for Every Protective Style

The Best Summer 2024 Nail Trends

Get Rid of Pool Hair with These Essential Shampoos

Bella Hadid’s Debut Fragrances Are Available Now