Christopher Kane Is the New Creative Director of Mulberry
An aughts-era revival is underway—and not just on the runways. On Thursday, British leather goods brand Mulberry announced that Christopher Kane will join the house as creative director of women’s ready-to-wear, marking a meeting of two defining forces from London’s 2000s fashion scene.
“Welcoming Christopher marks an important moment for Mulberry as we open a new chapter for ready-to-wear,” said Andrea Baldo, CEO of Mulberry, in a statement. “Christopher brings a rare combination of creativity, intellectual rigor and instinctive playfulness, alongside a deep respect for craft and materials. His vision resonates strongly with Mulberry’s heritage and the spirit of British creativity that defines the house. Together we look forward to evolving Mulberry’s creative language beyond accessories and shaping a compelling future for ready-to-wear on a global stage.”
For his part, Kane wrote, “It is an honor to join Mulberry, a brand with such a rich British heritage and a deep commitment to craft,” adding that he is looking forward to the future. His first collection will debut in September 2026.
Kane at the Christopher Kane fall/winter 2020/2021 show.
The Scottish designer first made a name for himself with his 2006 Central Saint Martins graduate collection, shown when he was just 23. The clothes immediately caught the eye of industry heavyweights, including Donatella Versace, who attempted to recruit Kane straight out of school. “I knew he was going to say no,” she told W in 2010. “He wanted to start his own company, and I respected that.” Kane did just that, founding his eponymous label with his sister Tammy, while consulting for Versace on the side. In 2010, when Donatella relaunched Versus Versace, she approached Kane again—and this time he accepted. The pair collaborated on the diffusion line for three years.
With his eponymous brand, Kane quickly became known for his cheeky ability to straddle the line between good and bad taste, making sex-forward clothes for elegant women. His mini dresses were intricate and beautiful and his lace was neon. He revealed and concealed the body with an innate expertise, and proved his construction chops with collections like that of spring 2009, which showed geometric designs created from hundreds of individual cutout shapes sewn together.
Jemima Kirke, Kane, and Lena Dunham at the 2019 Met Gala.
Kane with FKA Twigs at the 2015 Met Gala
Kane’s collections always made a splash every season. His fall 2008 collection was inspired by Planet of the Apes and featured designs plastered with a screaming gorilla. In 2019, he attended the ‘Camp: Notes on Fashion’ Met Gala alongside Lena Dunham and Jemima Kirk, whom he dressed in boxy, latex mini dresses advertising two different sexual fetishes. In 2017, he collaborated with Crocs to make footwear for his 10-year anniversary show, a full year before Demna brought the plastic shoe to the Balenciaga runway. He won the New Designer of the Year in 2007 at the British Fashion Awards and won the BFA Women’s Designer of the Year in 2013.
Christopher Kane crocs at the spring/summer 2017 show.
In 2023, Kane closed his label after more than 15 years in business. Since then, he has largely kept a low profile, aside from a 2024 capsule collection for Self-Portrait. His appointment at Mulberry marks a return to the spotlight—and a brand new chapter.
Mulberry, founded in 1971, gained traction in the early 2000s for its It bags and distinctly English sensibility. Styles like the Bayswater and Alexa became staples of the era, carried by a generation of It girls, including Alexa Chung and Kate Moss. Today, the brand remains a fixture of British style, favored by everyone from fashion insiders to Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales. With Kane now at the helm of ready-to-wear, the house is poised to expand beyond its handbag legacy—and reenter the fashion conversation in a major way.
