From / Harper's Bazaar November 2016 issue
Edited by / Yoanna / Avril Mair
Men are not bad Women are not loved
Christopher Kane
For a decade, Christopher Kane carved out for herself the Walk of Fame that leads to the top of the fashion pyramid. Behind such a successful man, there are several great women who provide him with rich inspiration, a happy and stable life, and support his spiritual world.
Before graduating from Central Saint Martins, Christopher Kane was already famous. In the decade that followed, he became one of the most dedicated, respected, talented and often imitated young designers of his kind.
He was known for his obsession with scientific research and genderology; a perfectionist for the development of complex fabrics; and a categorical refusal to lend his clothes to female celebrities who did not conform to his aesthetic taste. (The few lucky ones who met his requirements included Emma Watson, Keira Knightley, and Helena Bonham Carter, though he also designed clothes for Michelle Obama and Princess Kate.) He spoke directly, confidently, and sometimes even a little poorly.
Kering is a shareholder of Christopher Kane and also owns a beautiful flagship store on Mount Street in London, designed by John Pawson, a renowned British master minimalist architect. But his studio remained hidden in the alleys of East London for years. One summer afternoon, he wandered into the office and was handsome from head to toe. Casually throwing a Prada nylon canvas bag to the ground, he slumped into an armchair and asked his assistant for a drink. "I'm trying it on today." He said, "I'm going to do yoga in a moment so I don't have to get fat anymore." ”
Kane had a warm and cheerful face, and when she smiled, those blue eyes sparkled. He laughed heartily, informally, spoke quickly, and had a distinctly Scottish accent (this guy never considered learning London). The 34-year-old summed up his sense of humor as self-deprecation and sneering, but as soon as the subject shifted to work, he immediately became serious.
Popular imaginations of him are based on his extravagant talents, but in an environment of greed, hilarity, and consumerism, few people know the real Christoper Kane—kind, simple, and extraordinarily reasonable, with a sense of etiquette. "My mom is a housewife, and she hates fashion, which is a bit like a Scotsman. She would point to the fashionably dressed people and say, 'Look at the ladies, what does it stink!' But in my memory, I was a pretentious kid who knew from an early age that I was going to do the design business. In a working-class environment, adults have always taught me to be self-reliant, which is the Scottish spirit. I'm doing what I love. Ten years from now, I will still love it as always. ”
Christopher Kane was born in 1982 in a small town near Glasgow, Scotland, the eldest of five children. "It's a coddling to have all my demands met, but fortunately I'm not spoiled as the kind of bad kid who wants everything." In 2006, he founded the brand with his sister Tammy, who is still a key member of the brand's creative team today. Decades earlier, he had bought a pink Vesace skinny rubber dress with his pocket money and given it to his sister to wear to the high school prom. "My dad wouldn't let her dress like that." He said with a bad smile. But less than a decade later, Donatella Versace personally sponsored a batch of nylon lace to complete his famous "good taste from bargains" graduation project. She then hired him to Milan as a consultant and, in 2009, appointed him chief designer of the Versas brand (she also gave Kane a full-time job at Versace, which Kane politely declined). At that time, he was already a popular fried chicken at London Fashion Week.
In 2013, shortly after selling his brand to Kering, he won the British Fashion Awards Womenswear Designer of the Year and his career soared. "From the very beginning I set myself high goals. I've always been an ambitionist, working like crazy, but not trying anything in the wrong direction. According to the Financial Times, Christopher Kane is now "the UK's most promising brand to become a new luxury". But Kane herself has a pragmatic attitude: "My designs are not left there, so 'commercialization' is not a derogatory term." ”
In July this year, the brand's online shopping project was launched, and the goods at any price point received gratifying sales figures. Many of his designs inspire a desire to buy in a "bad" way — such as the erotic graffiti and children's beauty contests that inspired him — and his interest in floral patterns comes from childhood. "When I was a child, my mother said, 'Don't let people see your tulips,' which refers to the private parts of girls, and the boy's piece is called 'flowers.'" Obviously, this is not the kind of little freshness you think... On top of that, one can still see professional cuts that are clearly well thought out. "I want design to be inclusive. Although I don't want to say that, many brands of clothes have age discrimination... I don't want to exclude anyone from my design! I'm a competitive person, and it's very important to succeed and make my designs sell well. ”
While Christopher Kane has received such high traction and status in today's fashion industry, its brand core is still a family. Kane described his sister Tammy's place in his heart this way: "If anyone but her tells me that my design is garbage, I will kill him. "The eldest sister, Sandra, is in charge of the company's human resources department." I'm surrounded by very strong women. My sisters, my mother, Donatella, my teacher Louise Wilson... I enjoyed their company. They're intimidating to throw tantrums, so I don't want to be a woman myself, but I like to dress them up and I love them. "In the design process of each series today, he draws hundreds of drafts." There are no new ideas coming up all the time, so I'm always drawing, which is a curse. I wish I could rest, but my boyfriend and other friends are like that, and creativity is simply nowhere for us to hide. I know it's not a good thing for my whole life because I put so much thought into my clothes. Fashion has recorded my life and is my favorite. But the death of my mother a year ago made me understand the need to look at life more holistically. ”
In February 2015, just three days before the autumn-winter series launch, my mother died unexpectedly. For the first time that season, the backstage of the show closed the door to all the media and guests. "We did a great show and while I don't even remember how I did it, my intuition tells me it's the best way to honor her. It's really hard to go through all this, but if you try to hold on, you will find the healing power of fashion itself, because you will automatically block out all negative emotions... Creative work can help you carry through a lot of the bitterness of life. ”
The Fall/Winter 2016 collection, which is now on the shelves, contains memories of his childhood, presenting the theme of "making the ordinary great". For example, the plastic rain hat that the model wears on her head is inspired by his aunt Mary: "When I was a child, whenever it rained, she would wear a plastic bag on her head, which I thought was very funny. When I was at Central Saint Martins, Louise Wilson told me that there are no so-called bad tastes in this world, only different tastes. I will never forget this in my life. "Those years at Central Saint Martins were a defining period in Christopher Kane's career. At that time, he had a restrained personality, which was completely out of place compared to his classmates who advertised himself as the heir to haute couture. It was also here that he made his first dress—a flesh-colored skinny slip dress made of stockings he bought for a dollar at the Dalston market. "I could only afford this, and I was dying of nervousness when I showed it to Louise, but she said, 'Great, just make a few more of this!'" Whenever I think about that moment, I still want to cry, because it makes me know that I don't have to be like everyone else. It was she who unlocked my potential. Since then, Kane has stubbornly and wisely created her own world, with a crazy and unique vision.
"When I was in school, my idea was simple: you stupid people (beep-), I want you to see how good I am!" I'm just going to satirize those snobs and break all preconceived notions about the good and the bad. I know that as long as I do it, I can be confident and bold in the future. Disruptive innovation is the eternal driving force behind fashion, and christopher Kane is the most committed to it among his peers.
Image Source/Network
Editor-in-Charge/JUN