Capital Kane - Scotland's star designer at London Fashion Week

'WHAT credit crunch?" could have been the mantra for Christopher Kane's London Fashion Week show yesterday. If ever a designer was born to tough out a recession, it's Scotland's hottest fashion export. While the talk is of sober design for stringent times, Kane – who straight after graduation was trained in the school of hard bling that is the Versace studio – produced a blinder.

Coolly taking time out from last-minute preparations before the show, Kane – displaying a calm stoicism that belies his 26 years – told me: "Adversity only makes us tougher; that's the great thing about British fashion. London has never had the resources of other fashion cities like New York and Milan, so we have to rely on our own creativity to produce shows and collections which are better than the competition."

Having arrived in London from Lanarkshire as a student at the famous Central St Martins School of Art just five years ago, Kane now regards the city as home and is a leading light in the hip group of fashion creatives, artists and musicians based in the revived East End. "There's an amazing music scene which is very inspirational", he says. "It's great to find like-minded people. London is a brilliant breeding ground for creative youth who won't be told what to do. No economic problems can kill that spirit."

He has found that his creative virtuosity has affected his ability to get his designs made up in Britain. "Some areas, such as Savile Row tailoring, are very traditional and it can be hard if you want to do something different. But there are some great small British factories where I know the staff really well and we work together to produce exactly the right look." He works closely with Johnstons of Elgin on cashmeres, such as this winter's heavily metal-beaded Aran and cable-stitch styles. "We're learning together about pushing the boundaries on knitwear," he says. "They're so open to new ideas and we're educating each other."

Although he wishes more money was available for young British talent, Kane has done pretty well so far. He continued working for Versace after starting his own label five seasons ago in 2006, has designed capsule ranges for TopShop, received British Fashion Council New Generation sponsorship for his early shows and was voted Scottish designer of the year in 2006 as well as new designer of the year at the British Fashion Awards in 2007. Now he is a recipient of the prestigious Fashion Forward sponsorship, which could net his business up to 100,000 over two seasons to help it expand. But he is taking growth steadily.

"Things happened too fast at first," he says. "I now need to consolidate, make a statement and really be me." He still works from a small studio with his older sister, Tammy, who studied at the Scottish College of Textiles and acts as his muse, mentor and shield.

He is unashamedly elitist, happy to have his high-priced designs stocked in a small selection of the world's top stores, where the economically insulated go to shop (last season his stockists included Harvey Nichols in Edinburgh).

His plan, he says, "is to make money" and industry bigwigs seem keen to help him. Last season he was being wooed by Topshop billionaire Sir Philip Green. Now there are rumours that a big, shiny luxury company may be interested in taking him on. If he wants to build a brand with money-spinning accessories such as bags and shoes – even more important at times when money for stratospherically-priced dresses is short – Kane will need major financial support.

At present, he will say only that he is "proud of what we have achieved with relatively few resources. The pressure here is to stand out from the crowd and I think we do that." He is unfazed by the threat of even more pressure if the London shows are reduced to four days, from the present six, next season. This is itself a result of London's lack of funding – the big luxury companies in New York, Milan and Paris fund their fashion organisations and have more muscle to impose their will on show dates.

As such a wave-making designer, would Kane up-stumps to Paris and show with the big league, picking his time on their more leisurely schedule?

"Not at present", he says, "I'm really not ready," showing a remarkably cool head for someone so fted. But he leaves little doubt that this is his eventual plan, that he will become another of Britain's lauded fashion exports and he will probably accept serious investment to do so.

Meantime, London is doing a very good job of, as he says, "keeping my feet on planet Earth, not on Planet Fashion".

Brilliant…from the leopard print to the scalloped edgings

"THINK Flintstones," said Christopher Kane backstage after his spectacular London catwalk show yesterday. This, however, was no raw-edged cavewoman style: Kane's models sashayed out in clingy, curve-revealing, brightly coloured leopard-weave cashmere, teamed with leather or organza skirts, the intricate seams of which were outlined in dinosaur-inspired scalloping. The look for spring/summer 2009 was 'hard but soft' and Kane pulled off the contrast brilliantly. Best among his vivid colour palette was the leopard-print in natural honey and black, teamed with moss green leather. The sexiest contender was model of the moment – and Kane's favourite – the pneumatic Lara Stone, who makes a great sweater girl.

Kane likes to take an idea and worry it every which way. Those scalloped edgings turned up again on cloud grey, soft coral and white organza dresses, looking as delicately ornate as Chinese paper lanterns.

When taken to the max they were a touch too much, but played down they had real commercial appeal. Kane is clearly learning the lesson of other 'extreme' designers such as Alexander McQueen – one-third showstoppers to two-thirds wearable in a catwalk show is just about right.

Kane went on to expand his theme, with the scalloping reproduced as delicate leather thonging or soft marabou feathers on both nude and white chiffon. He balanced this with stylish toughness in the form of some extraordinary shoe-boots by footwear king Manolo Blahnik, which sported dinosaur ridges and rhinoceros horns.

Any concessions to these hard times? "It's very economical," Kane insisted. "No complex embroidery, just a little crystal." And all the work in that handmade scalloping? "Worth every penny," he retorted, with the confidence of a designer well on his way to success.