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Christopher Raeburn (born 13 August 1982) is a British
fashion designer Fashion is a form of self-expression and autonomy at a particular period and place and in a specific context, of clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories, makeup, hairstyle, and body posture. The term implies a look defined by the fashi ...
, known for reworking surplus fabrics and garments to create menswear, womenswear and accessories.


Early life

Christopher Raeburn was born the youngest of three boys in
Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...
. He spent a lot of time in the outdoors in his childhood, using his imagination and inventing. "We were encouraged to draw something in the week and then challenged to make it with my dad on the weekend. From the age of 11, I was in air cadets, I learnt to fly. I was doing my Duke of Edinburgh. I was doing walks in
Holland Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former province on the western coast of the Netherlands. From the 10th to the 16th c ...
. I had this love of being prepared".


Career

Raeburn graduated from London's
Royal College of Art The Royal College of Art (RCA) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom, with campuses in South Kensington, Battersea and White City. It is the only entirely postgraduate art and design university in the United Kingdom. It of ...
in 2006. He freelanced as a pattern cutter before setting up his own studio in 2008, and later his label. Raeburn participated in the 'Camouflage' exhibition at London's
Imperial War Museum Imperial War Museums (IWM) is a British national museum organisation with branches at five locations in England, three of which are in London. Founded as the Imperial War Museum in 1917, the museum was intended to record the civil and military ...
and featured in Hywel Davies' publication '100 New Designers'. He ended 2008 with his first collection showcased during London Design Week, a capsule range of reversible garments titled ''Inverted''. In 2009, Raeburn showcased menswear in
Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. ...
, received an award from the International Ethical Fashion Forum, and gained support from Esthetica, allowing him to show his work at
London Fashion Week London Fashion Week (LFW) is a clothing trade show that takes place in London twice a year, in February and September. Showcasing over 250 designers to a global audience of influential media and retailers, it is one of the 'Big Four' fashion wee ...
that September. In 2010, Raeburn was the first designer to be awarded
Topshop TOPSHOP (originally Top Shop) is a British fashion brand for women's clothing, shoes and accessories. It was part of the Arcadia Group, controlled by Sir Philip Green, but went into administration in late 2020 before being purchased by ASOS on ...
NEWGEN sponsorship for both men's and women's wear in the same season. Raeburn has become known for the ethical integrity of his work, although he admits it was never his intention. American
Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine ** ''Vogue China'', ...
's August 2010 issue highlighted Raeburn's contribution to all things green with the advice to "Remember the four R's – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Raeburn", accompanied by a
Mario Testino Mario Eduardo Testino Silva OBE HonFRPS (born 30 October 1954) is a Peruvian fashion and portrait photographer. His work has featured internationally in magazines such as '' Vogue, V Magazine,'' '' Vanity Fair'' and '' GQ.'' He has also cre ...
shoot of
Blake Lively Blake Ellender Lively ( Brown; born August 25, 1987) is an American actress. Born in Los Angeles, Lively is the daughter of actor Ernie Lively, and made her professional debut in his directorial project ''Sandman'' (1998). She starred as Brid ...
wearing a Raeburn Duffle Coat. After viewing his Autumn/Winter 2011 London Fashion Week presentation at the disused
Aldwych tube station Aldwych is a closed station on the London Underground, located in the City of Westminster in Central London. It was opened in 1907 with the name Strand, after the street on which it is located, and was the terminus of the short Piccadilly lin ...
,
Style.com Style.com was a luxury e-commerce website, launched by international media company Condé Nast in September 2016. In June 2017 Style.com was closed and absorbed by online retailer Farfetch.com Before its closure Style.com offered established and e ...
stated, "it's not unreasonable to assert that Christopher Raeburn is the single most radical designer working today". In 2010, Raeburn was approached by
Victorinox Victorinox () is a knife manufacturer and watchmaker based in the town of Ibach, in the Canton of Schwyz, Switzerland. It is well known for its Swiss Army knives. The Swiss Army knives made by Victorinox are made of a proprietary blend st ...
to collaborate with them on a men's and women's wear capsule collection. Victorinox set up a "Remade in Switzerland" studio in Ibach, the birthplace of
Karl Elsener Karl or Carl Elsener may refer to: *Karl Elsener (footballer) (1934–2010), Swiss football goalkeeper *Karl Elsener (inventor) (1860–1918), inventor of the Swiss Army knife *Carl Elsener Sr. Carl Elsener Sr. (also known as Charles Elsener, born ...
, the founder of Victorinox. He found the original house where Elsener founded the brand as inspiration for the establishment of his Swiss LAB. In his lab, he produced 100 pieces of each style by hand. The collaboration launched on schedule during New York Fashion Week in February 2011. In 2011, he was nominated for the 'Observer Ethical Awards: Fashion Category' and 'Condé Nast Traveller award: design and innovation' prizes, and his 'REMADE IN SWITZERLAND' collaboration with Victorinox is shown on schedule at NYFW. In 2012, the brand started to widen its stockist list, counting more than 20 stores worldwide, including the Paris-based boutique Colette. In that year Christopher Raeburn also launched his first accessories collection, as well as the much-awaited first collaboration with Moncler. The following year, Raeburn's visibility continued to increase, with the designer receiving sponsorship from Woolmark for his SS14 season. 2013 was a big year for Christopher Raeburn, who in that year not only won Designer Business of the Year at the UK Fashion and Textiles awards but also launched two major collaborations, with Rapha and Fred Perry. He ended the year by being announced as artistic director of Victorinox Fashion, due to past collaborations. In 2014, there were two Woolmark sponsorships for Raeburn, this time towards his AW14 and his SS15 seasons, menswear and womenswear. The designer was, once again, shortlisted for BFC/GQ Designer Menswear Fund, and also launched his Barbour collaboration. In the same year, Christopher Raeburn won Menswear Brand of the Year at the UK Fashion and Textiles Awards. In 2015, Raeburn was shortlisted for the second year for BFC/GQ Designer Menswear Fund and he was sponsored again by Woolmark for his AW15 collection. He launched two collaborations: one with Wool and The Gang, to create a joint line of knitted accessories, and one with knitwear specialised brand Unmade, to create an interactive bespoke knitwear. In the same year Raeburn received the award for Best Emerging Designer at the GQ Men of the Year Awards, and later on he launched his first footwear menswear and womenswear joint collections with Clarks. At the beginning of 2016, Raeburn saw his "Layers of Natural Innovation" partnership with The Woolmark company shown at the ICA during London Fashion Week in celebration of the versatility of Merino Wool, before being shortlisted for a third year for the BFC / GQ Designer Menswear Fashion Fund. That year Raeburn also launched a collaboration with MCM. In Autumn 2018, US lifestyle brand
Timberland Timberland may refer to: Places * Timberland, Lincolnshire, a village in Lincolnshire, England * Timberland, Wisconsin, an unincorporated community, US Other uses * Timberland, land used for forestry and timber production * Timberland (company) ...
announced its appointment of Christopher Raeburn as global creative director of the brand. This was followed by the news that Raeburn would revive Left Hand and ST95, brands developed by Stone Island-founder
Massimo Osti Massimo Osti (1944–2005) was an Italian garment engineer and fashion designer, most famous as the founder of the apparel brands Stone Island and C.P. Company. Osti's products were a mix of his own innovations and design ideas he got from study ...
, in December 2020. In November 2021, RÆBURN created a partnership with circular fashion platform Responsible.us and Christopher was appointed as an Advisory Board Member, supporting the reCommerce platform in broadening its credibility and reach within the circularity category. In April 2022, Christopher revised his relationship with Timberland, continuing his commitment to eco-innovation and style in a new role as a collaborator at large, where he’ll continue to lead creative for the Earthkeepers platform, as well as assist with a roster of collaborators for Timberland. In the summer of 2022, RÆBURN was selected as a finalist for the Zalando Sustainability Award, which saw Christopher present the brand's SS23 collection at Copenhagen Fashion Week. ⁠


Awards

* 2010: NewGen sponsorship for both menswear and womenswear * 2010 and 2011: Rising Star at the UK Fashion and Textiles Awards * 2011: British Fashion Award for Emerging Talent Menswear * 2013: Designer of the Year at the UKFT Awards * 2014: Menswear Brand of the Year at the UKFT Awards * 2015: Best Emerging Designer at the GQ Men of the Year Awards *2019: Honorary professorship and Lifetime Achievement Award by the
Glasgow Caledonian University Glasgow Caledonian University ( gd, Oilthigh Chailleannach Ghlaschu, ), informally GCU, Caledonian or Caley, is a public university in Glasgow, Scotland. It was formed in 1993 by the merger of The Queen's College, Glasgow (founded in 1875) and G ...
(GCU) *2020: Brand of the Year (RÆBURN) at the Drapers Sustainable Fashion Awards *2020: Fashion Award 2020 (RÆBURN), selected as one of the Honourees of the Environment category *2021: Brand of the Year (RÆBURN) at the Drapers Sustainable Fashion Awards * 2022: One of the Winners of the Common Objective Leadership Award (RÆBURN) *2022: Brand of the Year (RÆBURN) at the Drapers Sustainable Fashion Awards * 2022: Most Sustainable Store Design (RÆBURN’s Marshall Street, Carnaby Store) in the Drapers Sustainable Fashion Awards * 2022: Zalando Sustainability Award Finalist


Collaborations

The Lab E20 opened in July; a 3,500sq ft space produced and designed by Raeburn. It will form Get Living’s new creative hub in East Village, London.


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Raeburn, Christopher English fashion designers 1982 births Living people