Mulberry is returning to the runway after a six-year hiatus from women’s ready-to-wear, and Scottish designer Christopher Kane has been tapped to lead as creative director.
In a statement from the brand, CEO Andrea Baldo praised Kane and his ability to bring “a rare combination of creativity, intellectual rigour and instinctive playfulness, alongside a deep respect for craft and materials” to his work.
Kane was dubbed a fashion wunderkind in the early and mid-aughts. While he was still attending Central Saint Martins, his graduate collection caught the attention of Donatella Versace, who was so taken with his work that she plotted to recruit the designer straight out of school. Although Kane refused the offer to focus on launching an eponymous label with his sister, Tammy, he eventually joined the Versace team in 2013, helming their diffusion line, Versus, for three years.
With his penchant for mixing highbrow and lowbrow aesthetics, Kane’s playful eye quickly set him apart in the fashion arena. He dressed Lena Dunham — also back in Zeitgeist this spring with her forthcoming memoir — and Jemima Kirke in kitschy swim caps and fetish-themed minidresses with rhinestoned puffed sleeves for the Met Gala and sent Crocs down the runway in 2017, while also producing dainty floral minidresses and delicate lace negligees. His approach won him fans and prizes, including the British Fashion Council and Vogue’s Designer Fashion Fund Award, as well as four British Fashion Awards, including Womenswear Designer of the Year.
Since shuttering his namesake label in 2023, Kane has mostly remained out of the spotlight apart from a collaboration with Self-Portrait in 2024. Now, the designer will be front and center, tasked with reinvigorating ready-to-wear for Mulberry, a heritage brand known mostly for its leather goods and bags.
“It is an honour to join Mulberry, a brand with such a rich British heritage and a deep commitment to craft,” Kane wrote in a statement. “I look forward to working closely with Andrea and the team to create a new chapter of ready-to-wear that celebrates the spirit of Mulberry.”
His first collection is slated for September 2026.