British fashion designer Richard Nicoll has died aged 39 following a suspected heart attack.

According to Vogue Australia, the designer had been just three months away from starting a creative director role with sportswear giant Adidas in Germany. 

Nicoll passed away today in Sydney, where he had been living for the past year. The suspected cause of death is being reported as a heart attack.

Nicoll, who was born in London but raised in Perth, had relocated back to Australia following the closure of his eponymous brand in 2015.

He had subsequently taken up a position as creative director at British retailer Jack Wills, and was reportedly due to start at Adidas in January. Adidas is yet to confirm the reports.

"Richard was an extraordinarily talented designer and a wonderful, warm, generous human being," said Vogue Australia editor-in-chief Edwina McCann.

"Our thoughts are with his family and loved ones at this very difficult time, and at Vogue we will celebrate and remember his unique talents, always."

Nicoll was known for his minimalist approach and sharp tailoring, and had showed his collections on the London Fashion Week schedule for nearly a decade.

He graduated from Central Saint Martins with an MA in womenswear in 2002, when his entire graduate collection was famously purchased by Dolce & Gabbana.

Throughout his short but successful career, he had also worked alongside Marc Jacobs at Louis Vuitton, designed collections for Topshop and been named British Fashion Council Vogue Fashion Fund finalist twice.