Fashion / news
Christopher Kane Debuts First Mulberry Collection With Axe-Shaped Bags
Christopher Kane has unveiled his first collection as creative director of British leather goods brand Mulberry, pairing sharp, pared-back silhouettes with the house's signature Postman's Lock hardware.
The Scottish designer described heritage as "a foundation, not a limitation" as he set out his vision for the British label, leaning on leather as the collection's principal material.
Among the standout pieces were narrow shoulder bags shaped like the blade of an axe, fastened with Mulberry's signature Postman's Lock. The same clasp appeared on shoes, where it served as the style's closure.
The collection's garments were largely stripped of adornment, echoing what Kane called the idea of sharpening and slicing away the extraneous. Leather was crafted into boxy silhouettes with "notched" edges that recalled the construction of the flap on the brand's Bayswater handbag, introduced in 2003 by Nicolas Knightly and still Mulberry's bestselling style.
Those notches reappeared as scale-like layers of an iridescent, organza-like fabric on a series of mini dresses, and as a split hem detail on wool sweaters. Alongside the axe-shaped bags, the archival Piccadilly was blown up in size and offered in new mock croc iterations.
"There's a lot of Mulberry heritage here, but it's also very Christopher Kane," the designer said of the debut, which he developed alongside his sister and creative partner Tammy Kane.