‘To be a designer is to be cultural, not trendy’

A star name on London’s fashion scene, Christopher Kane was the talk of the town in June 2023. The brouhaha around the designer wasn’t pertaining to a new launch or investment, however, but the unexpected news that his namesake label — established in 2006, when he was straight out of Central Saint Martins, aged 24, and celebrated for its liberating approach — was experiencing financial difficulty and would be calling in administrators.

The news, which came five years after Kane regained control of his label from luxury group Kering (also owner of Gucci and Balenciaga), sent shock waves throughout the industry, which had been largely supportive of the design wunderkind from the outset, and shone a spotlight on the challenges faced by independent brand founders in an increasingly precarious environment. (Kane and his sister and co-founder Tammy ultimately repurchased his brand’s assets and intellectual property, for an undisclosed sum, as part of a pre-packaged administration deal.)

“What can I say? Shutting up shop, it takes a lot of admin to get there,” says Kane, now 42, who is in good spirits when we meet near London’s Old Street. The designer kick-started the year with a Burns Night celebration at Berners Tavern that was attended by the likes of Sheila Atim and Alexa Chung. During the summer, he partnered with Belmond, the luxury travel and hospitality company owned by LVMH, bringing fashionable guests to Scotland for the unveiling of its new Grand Suite cabins.

Now, he’s working on his next project: a collection for Self-Portrait as part of the UK-based womenswear label’s new residency programme, of which Kane is the first guest. “This is a really good blessing, getting back into the studio,” he says. “[The brand] was just a chapter. I don’t see it as a failure. It was 18 years of hard work, with the best of times and the worst of times.”

Most important is this: despite ventures into other creative endeavours such painting (a dedicated Instagram, @paintedbychristopherkane, showcases his latest drawings and doodles) and ruminating on the past, Kane’s enthusiasm for fashion has not been shaken: “It’s my first love, so I’ll always love it, no matter what happens. I still love dresses.” And his passion will be on display tonight, at a photography studio in north London, where he will unveil the new designs he created for Self-Portrait.

There’s no such thing as good or bad taste. Things are just different

Kane’s starting point for the collection — delicate lace dresses with frill-trimmed cutouts, and elastic bandage gowns with chainmail adornments, accessorised with sparkly ruffle-handled bags — referenced a key moment from the past: his spring/summer 2007 debut at London Fashion Week, where he presented belted mini dresses in neon-bright shades. The figure-hugging, skin-baring styles could have felt aggressive. But editors and buyers instantly recognised a new powered-up take on femininity, in which women could look strong and sexy at the same time.

And as Kane has continually demonstrated, there’s a unique complexity and attention to detail in the construction and finishings of his designs. That was evident in his latest pieces, which featured many of the design codes that he has identified and honed over his career. Think slinky silhouettes, zip-up fronts and cut-out detailing, which bring a more provocative touch to the muted pastel colours, such as baby pink and buttercup yellow, that feel more aligned with Self-Portrait’s cutesy aesthetic. Prices for the new collection start at £30 for lace socks and run up to £320 for knitwear and £700 for a lace satin dress.

Kane reflects on his early collections, inspired by a childhood in which he enjoyed watching American beauty pageants. “At [college], I was in a classroom where everyone was nodding to Margiela or Comme des Garçons. I made mini tape dresses because I simply couldn’t afford fancy fabrics. I was using what I could find.” The result, Kane believes, was “a collection that will always stand the test of time. It stands out to me because it was something I did in the very beginning, when I was the most creative. It was raw. When the runway opened to a neon orange dress, it made people sit up.”

With the latest launch, Kane sought to relive that “cathartic” feeling of “going to all the depths”, he explains. “Whether it’s the ugliest part or the most beautiful part, I’m not scared of anything. That’s the whole point of this collection. Louise Wilson [the late Central Saint Martins professor] had always taught us that there’s no such thing as good or bad taste. Things are just different.”

He continues: “To be a designer is to be cultural, not trendy. I’d rather people hate something than say, ‘It’s the same as everyone else.’ The idea of looking somewhere that no one else will is a really important lesson for young designers — don’t go for the obvious choice.”

Kane’s residency with Self-Portrait is in many ways unlike typical fashion collaborations, which are often largely cash-grabs as brands combine their might to create limited-edition releases that generate hype and appeal to broader audiences. It’s noteworthy that Kane and Han Chong, the energetic and outgoing founder of Self-Portrait, are both independent designers. When we meet at his open-plan office, Chong wants to make clear that profits aren’t driving his agenda. “It’s been 10 years of Self-Portrait and we are in a very good place financially,” he says.

What began in 2013 as an affordable party-dress brand has been gradually transforming into a cool-girl label, known for its bouclé jackets (cited by young TikTok users as a better-priced alternative to Chanel), day-to-night knits and playful handbags. That kind of shift in perception takes work, as seen via Self-Portrait’s savvy partnerships (for three years it hosted a star-studded summer party with British Vogue) and celebrity endorsements (Gigi Hadid and Blackpink’s Jisoo feature in its campaigns).

The residency feels like the next iteration of that, though Chong asserts it’s not a marketing ploy but an opportunity to promote greater collaboration amid a tough environment. “The industry can be very competitive. I want to set the tone and show that two designers can work together,” he says.

The decision to partner with Kane was a no-brainer for Chong, who in 2003 moved to London from Penang, Malaysia, where he was born and raised, to study womenswear design — also at Central Saint Martins. “After Alexander McQueen and John Galliano, Christopher Kane was the next designer to really represent London for the new generations,” says Chong. “When I started in fashion, he was someone that I looked to because I thought he was talented.” That prompted Chong to reach out to Kane in April. By June the designs were being developed and, in September, sold to wholesalers. (The collection will be sold by retailers including Mytheresa and Harvey Nichols, as well as via Self-Portrait’s own stores and ecommerce.)

And what next for Kane, who despite everything still has remarkable cachet to his name? Despite several nudges about his intentions, the designer is hesitant to share more, though one can wisely assume that his ambitions don’t end here. He and Tammy reveal they are actively exploring future opportunities for the Christopher Kane and More Joy labels, which they together own.

“I’ve been thinking, what can I do in this period? How can I adapt?” says Kane. “I’m a bit of a chameleon [but] I’ve always stood for authenticity. I’ve never wanted to be anyone but myself. I had one good chapter. Another one is coming up.”

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