Exclusive: Christopher Kane on outsider art, UFOs and contemporary femininity

[“][I] never want to be trendy,” Christopher Kane admits. “It’s so strange how it came about in other collections…” The it being the inescapable glare of futurism fantasia. The whole ‘sci-fi’ fashion renaissance may seem a bit hackneyed now, but the Scottish designer is careful to interpret ideas we feel like we’ve seen before and reboot in a revolutionary way; whether that’s pioneering the Free The Croc campaign or making florals seem, well, actually groundbreaking.

For his AW17 collection? The humble cardigan makes a welcome return – “when have cardigans never not been cool? Seriously,” he says – and disco-punk-meets lab worker space age chic. The CK planet dress code: a mesh of velcro-ed holographic corsages, iridescent fabrics and alien-like metallic dresses.

“I don’t have moodboards – never have!” stresses fashion’s wunderkind. “It’s about a feeling, creating a character in my head. We wanted to express a tougher femininity.” What does tough femininity look like? I ask: “Strength and confidence in a woman has always been very attractive to me. A strong role model to help me create clothes doesn’t need to be flowery and pretty to be feminine; they can look like a bin bag!” And, as it happens, the intergalactic micro trend running through his Fall ’17 collection is the most stereotypically gendered and ‘nerdy’ objects of them all: UFOs.

History, technology and utility collide as the late artist Ionel Talpazan’s otherworldly drawings can be found printed on dresses and skirts. “I have always been a fan of Outsider Art,” Kane says. “I feel it has always informed my work. Outsider artists fascinate me because they are using their rawest emotions to create without any influence – creativity in its purest form, their work comes from a very honest place, full of emotion and meaning. Growing up in Scotland, me and Tammy [Christopher’s older sister and business partner] always felt like outsiders…” While Kane is hesitant to spill his favourite science fiction films – “trade secrets!” – he does admit to being “partial to documentaries on unsolved mysteries or discoveries.”

And so talk turns to the future of fashion. Are designer’s doing enough when it comes to designing sustainably? “I’m always conscious of the environment,” he says. “I always set out to educate myself and others every season, whether it be a new process in printing that cuts waste, or walking to work instead of taking a cab.” His pearl of wisdom for the next-gen designers is simple: Take It Slow. “Don’t rush into doing everything,” Kane advises. “Just do what you are good at. Donatella Versace once said ‘it just gets harder, so toughen up every part of your body’. Coming from a real fashion pro, these words could not be more true.”

The Ionel Talpazan installation can be viewed at Christopher Kane’s Mount Street store until 25^th October.