London Fashion Week: designer Christopher Kane on why his off-kilter clothes ‘empower women and LGBTQ communities’, as new collection unveiled

After catching Donatella Versace’s eye, Kane became known for his subversive designs that celebrate sexual liberation and create an ‘alternative femininity’

His new collection, shown at London Fashion Week last month, highlights the ‘oppression’ of working-class women, and takes inspiration from nature and painting

Reading Time:4 minutes

Fashion designer Christopher Kane has made a name for his off-the-wall garments that “empower women and LGBTQ communities”. Photo: David Reiss

Published: 7:15pm, 7 Mar 2023Updated: 9:52am, 8 Mar 2023

Christopher Kane first captured the fashion world’s attention in the mid-late aughts, with subversive designs that spun the lurid and loony into something luxurious. Unafraid to push the boundaries of good taste, the designer took inspiration from fetish wear and club culture and celebrated sexual liberation.

But in an era of gratuitous nudity in the media and oversharing masquerading as authenticity online, what, in Kane’s opinion, is still considered taboo in 2023?

“Believe it or not, being gay in the UK is still seen as being bad today,” Kane tells the Post. “In general, people who are on the margins of life are still put down by society at large, but these people, in my opinion, are the most interesting.”

He shares that a parent from his niece’s school condemned its teaching sex education and LGBTQ rights. “It was a stark reminder of how much fear there is for the unknown. It left me feeling so angry that the cycle of perpetual prejudice still thrives, but I have hope that my niece’s generation will see things more clearly.”

The designer has in the past spoken of feeling like an outsider in the fashion industry because of his working-class roots, and in his latest collection, which he showed during London Fashion Week last month, Kane highlights what he sees as the oppression of working-class women. This focus is especially pertinent as the cost of living crisis in the UK continues.