Interview: Christopher Kane, fashion designer

Published on Monday 22 February 2010 21:14

THERE is no doubt that Christopher Kane's is the most hotly anticipated show of London Fashion Week. The demand for tickets to see the Scottish Wunderkind wheel out his latest collection far outweighs the supply, and minutes before his autumn/winter 2010 show began yesterday afternoon, the venue was packed to the rafters. No-one wanted to miss this.

Why? Because in the cyclical world of fashion, where there is arguably no such thing as a new idea, Kane is about as close as it comes to true originality. In the four years since the unassuming 27-year-old from Newarthill, near Motherwell, graduated, he has given us everything from nudes and neons in his critically acclaimed debut collection, to Swarovski crystals the size of golf balls, burgundy leather skater skirts, snakeskin-printed chiffon, enormous sequins and gingham split to the thigh. His work is always original, always quirky, always edgy, yet at the same time, always beautiful.

For fashion followers it's incredibly exciting to see what he'll come up with next, and as I wait in line I speculate with a couple of fellow guests whether our black-on-black invitations might be indicative of Kane's inspirations.

It's hot, dark and heaving with bodies in the sub-basement concrete space where everyone who's anyone in the British (and indeed international) fashion world is crammed into the one room. Front row, supermodel Naomi Campbell takes her place next to Topshop mogul Sir Philip Green. Girl about town Alexa Chung has possibly the best seat in the house, while editor-in-chief of French Vogue (and one of the most important women in fashion) Carine Roitfeld arrives on time, hiding behind enormous black sunglasses that dwarf her face.

I am standing on top of a small box at the very back, steadying myself against the wall. As unglamorous as it sounds, I consider myself lucky to have a vantage point at all; the room is so packed that for a number of attendees they'll be lucky if they can see the tops of the models' heads. Just as it looks like I might be knocked off my box by a short, pushy fan, the lights go up and to the strains of a rather melancholy soundtrack comes one of Kane's strongest collections so far. As I'd speculated, it's a predominantly black collection that's heavy on leather, lace and PVC, but rather than "black on black", we see a cacophony of colour layered over the dark fabrics. The rebellious bad girl aesthetic is softened with hand-embroidered flowers of the sort that put one in mind of an English country garden. They climb up hems, over bodices and down the sleeves of shifts and mini-dresses. The contrast is striking.

We see hints of Kane's Scottish heritage in simple black kilts and blonde sheepskin collars, and highlights include ironically twee navy cashmere sweaters covered in kitschy floral embroidery – think geraniums interspersed with weeds – with the seams of the sleeves left open. Continuing with the rebellious black leather, but referencing Catholic iconography, leather dresses come with embellished crystal details, while tailored tuxedo dresses are among the most wearable pieces in the collection.

The intricate clothes are offset with boyish hair (with a cowlick inspired by Brad Pitt's hair in Legends of the Fall) and simple make-up featuring orangey-blush on the cheeks.

The collection is another triumph. Naomi Campbell says she loves the lace-up heeled boots that stop at the mid-calf, while Vogue's Dolly Jones says Kane has created a line of dresses which will "be recognised as iconic keystones in his creative journey", adding that "there could hardly have been a woman in the room who isn't now fantasising about being the first to be seen in one of these".

Taking sexy, hard-edged and rebellious cuts and fabrics and contrasting them with pretty, feminine imagery is not entirely new (who hasn't thrown a tough leather jacket over a floaty, girly dress?), but Kane has a knack of taking familiar ideas to the next level and injecting a heavy dose of humour into it in the process.

This collection has connotations of your granny's tea cosy, fetish wear, Madonna in the Eighties and canal boat folk art, but Kane's inspirations are far more diverse. Speaking after the show, he cites the Women's Institute, juvenile delinquents and Priscilla Presley ("before Elvis got his hands on her") as this collection's influences, adding that the use of leather and lace panels was an attempt to make the embroidered hedgerow flowers "a little more perverse".

Perverse is something we've come to expect from a designer whose collections are riddled with contrasts. His super successful graduate collection featured tough neon-hued body-con dresses contrasted with soft nude lace. It was a critical hit. Suzy Menkes, fashion editor of the International Herald Tribune, and one of the most influential people in the business, said of that early show: "Imagine Marie Antoinette off to the disco in a concoction of lace… and that silhouette of her stretch dress is as curvy as a corset. Absolutely fabulous!"

Soon, editor-in-chief of US Vogue Anna Wintour had requested a meeting, and Donatella Versace was offering him a job, impressed by the impression that Kane was someone "who had something special. He was free, creative and strong, with a clear point of view even though he was so young." He is now is a consultant for Versace and works on the brand's more youthful Versus label. It's certainly a long way from watching the Clothes Show in the bungalow where he grew up, and taking trips with his two older sisters into Glasgow to ogle the merchandise in the window of the Versace boutique.

His clothes are worn by slightly edgier celebrities – including Chlo Sevigny, Emma Watson, Rihanna and Daisy Lowe – and we'd bet our Bottega Veneta handbag that Alexa Chung will be wearing one of his autumn/winter 2010 dresses before the year is out. One person who might not be, however, is Victoria Beckham, who was politely turned down when she asked to borrow a dress. Kane reckoned that not only is she wealthy enough to buy one, but also that her image wasn't a fit with his brand.

Kane was said to be nervous before yesterday's show. Understandable, really, since not only are our expectations set dangerously high when it comes to his work, but being famed for his ability to offer something new and fresh every season has got to turn on the pressure. No matter. He delivered and then some.

The crowd whooped unfashionably as the show drew to a close. It's a bona fide hit, one of his best collections to date and further evidence that this Scot shows no signs of slowing down and remains our hottest fashion export.

LIFE AND TIMES

&#149 The youngest of five children, Christopher Kane was born in Motherwell to an engineer and a housewife. He has described how his passion for clothing set in at an early age. His two older sisters were early inspirations, and he started sketching as a child.

&#149 In his teens, an art teacher encouraged him to apply for Central St Martins in London to study fashion. While still at college, he undertook placements with designers Russell Sage and Giles Deacon.

&#149 He attracted the attention of Donatella Versace in 2005, when he won the Lancme Colour Award and went on to pick up the Harrods Design Award for his MA graduate collection.

&#149 He set up his own label in 2006 with his sister, Tammy Kane, whom he cites as his muse, creative partner and business partner. The same year, he was awarded the Young Designer of the Year gong at the Scottish Fashion Awards, and in 2007 he was named as the New Designer of the Year at the British Fashion Awards.

&#149 He has designed sell-out capsule collections for Topshop and created stage attire for Kylie Minogue and Beth Ditto of the Gossip. He has partnered with Johnstons of Elgin and is vocal in support of his home country, becoming an ambassador for VisitScotland in 2008 and even hosting a Burns Night at Harvey Nichols.

&#149 Every one of the eight collections he has presented has been critically lauded.