Christopher Kane AW23 – London Fashion Week

Christopher Kane is a man of humble beginnings.  The designer was raised in a working-class home near Glasgow by his mother, a housewife, and a father who worked as a draughtsman and owned a pub.  For his latest Christopher Kane AW23 collection, he chose to explore the complexities of his 80s upbringing and took inspiration from the outfits worn by the women who surrounded him during his early life.

The unassuming silhouettes of cleaners, waitresses, and barmaids prompted the creation of a new uniform.  A glamorous take on domestic visuals came with bustles on both the front and back – and occasionally around the full circumference – to mimic tied bin bags. Seemingly banal objects became creative gems, with so called ‘chopping board collars’ adding spectacularly geometric and angular edges to frame or obscure the models’ faces.

Simplicity acted as the driving force behind Kane’s work for AW23, reflected in the use of modest materials and a considered colour palette.  The base tones varied through a range of charcoals derived from memories of the quintessential British school uniform.  These were offset by bursts of primary colours to command the attention.

Of course, a Christopher Kane collection couldn’t be without its quirky edge.  This time, vivid AI generated animal prints, from butterflies to pigs, challenged sartorial cannons and underlined the tongue-in-cheek.

A softer side was unveiled through the addition of delicately embroidered flower motifs, glittering sequins and silk organza that revealed the body through unorthodox shapes.  For those more reserved, finely tailored suits or looks in pressed cotton were there to satisfy all tastes.  The final result was another collection that exemplified Kane’s motto of “transforming the ordinary into the extraordinary”.

To read our review of the ERDEM show from LFW, click here

Click here for more information on Christopher Kane AW23