Biography
Christopher Kane has been heralded as one of the brightest new talents in the design world since his debut in 2006. Kane’s modern aesthetic manipulates textures and silhouettes, creating strongly feminine looks, laced with attitude. While Kering has sold the label back to the designer after acquiring a 51 percent stake in 2013, the young designer has placed himself and his brand on the path to global recognition.
While still in college at Central Saint Martins in London, Kane gained experience working for designers Russell Sage and Giles Deacon. The prodigious design talent then won the L’Oréal Colour Award with his graduate show, which initially attracted the attention of Donatella Versace .
Kane went on to win the Harrods Design Award for his graduate collection. The collection, which consisted of stretched lace dresses decorated with brass rings, prompted Versace to hire the designer to work on the label's Atelier couture collection and act as consultant for shoes and accessories. Versace later appointed Kane to be creative director of Versace’s diffusion line Versus in 2009.
Kane established his namesake label in 2006, with his sister Tammy as the brand's co-creative director and co-founder. His first independent show, a collection of neon bandage dresses, was presented in the Spring/Summer 2006 season in London Fashion Week. Over the following seasons, Kane would receive rave reviews for his fresh take on fashion and his ability to recast materials and prints once fallen from favour, and place them right back into the aspirations of the industry and the wider consumer.
In April 2019, Kane designed a brightly coloured T-shirt for Heart Research UK. Kane has designed the collection to raise awareness for the charity, after his brother died from a heart attack in 2018.