Last night I attended an inspiring Q&A with Colin McDowell and Christopher Kane, in conjunction with The Sunday Times 'STYLE' magazine and Net a Porter. Kane spoke of his humble beginnings in Scotland, growing up around strong minded women including his mother and sister Tammy. He spoke candidly about his love of drawing especially life classes, observing the human form and its beauty.
Kane's career prospered following his graduate collection at CSM, where he presented a collection based on American children's pageants. Thereafter everything moved very swiftly after being introduced to Dontella Versace via Louise Wilson. A woman he now considers a close friend with an incredible sense of humour and warm heart.
The Kane brand has grown from strength to strength with unique concepts beaming down the catwalk. Inspiration is taken from movies, travels and his brother sister bond with Tammy, bouncing ideas back and forth. He said it has been difficult but he is confident with his talent and ability, and believes this is key.
Colin questioned Kane's decision to allow the Kering group a 51% stake in his business, but as he openly stated in a humorous manner, without him there is no brand. He has faith in Kering's genuine interest in design and modernity, the deal has taken nearly a year to seal, which from an outsider I had know idea.
Going forth, the first 'Christopher Kane' standalone store will open next Summer in London which Kane says will be exciting because he can style whole looks exactly as he imagines. The 'It' bag got a lot of focus too as Kane was eager to confide he'd seen the final design prior to his interview that evening.
Drinking a gin & tonic to steady his nerves Kane was incredibly inspiring, advising to keep on going, if you have enough talent it will be spotted. I'll drink to that!
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