Christopher Kane still resourceful after 10 years
Scottish designer Christopher Kane marked ten years in business Monday with a trip down memory lane in a London show filled with references to past collections -- and even a print comprised of old polaroids.
In the marble corridors of the Tate Britain gallery, Kane showcased looks inspired by the wartime mantra "make-do and mend", a celebration of resourcefulness that also allowed him to remember his student days.
Dresses were built from sections of fabric held together by metal rings, as were off-the-shoulder cardigans, in a nod to his 2006 graduate collection.
Leather skirts were hemmed with delicate lace and Croc shoes pimped up with polished mineral stones, while laser cut, embroidered satin white flowers were appliqued onto dresses.
"I've always had that ethos of 'make it work'. I can make anything out of a pair of pants, and that's what I did for my Masters degree. It was a really nice nod to that," Kane told reporters backstage.
"Also thinking of those wartime women -- it (rationing) was really strict, but they had to maintain their glamour."
Kane's brand has been the toast of London Fashion Week since his graduate show in 2006, and is now majority owned by luxury French group Kering.
Kering boss Francois-Henri Pinault was in the front row with his wife Salma Hayek, as was US Vogue editor Anna Wintour.
In another nod to history, Kane gathered up polaroids and scrapbooks from past collections, photographed them and made them into a new print that adorned dresses and skirts.
Some of the dresses that put him on the fashion map ten years ago also made an appearance.
"We look at them every season, because they're so beautiful. They are like relics," Kane said.
The designer, who runs his label with his elder sister Tammy, said it was "pretty nice" to still be in business ten years after he started out.
"It's been so tough over the past ten years, keeping it up," he said.
"We actually did great business in the recession, we grew. It's the best time to grab people's attention, to give them something new."