Christopher Raeburn, Design Driven by Reimagination

Christopher Raeburn is a design-led, London-based womenswear, menswear and accessories fashion brand. Christopher works with certified organic materials, recycled polyester, and a lot of surplus materials, particularly military surplus. According to Sass Brown, Christopher’s aesthetic comes from, “a fascination with military materials and something that he’s quoted as saying ‘archeological discoveries.’”

The brand dates back to about 2009 and Christopher’s first collection, which was fall winter 2010, was made from decommissioned military wool field jackets and nylon parachutes. Sass points out, “that’s an aesthetic that has continued throughout the collection, since that day. It’s very technically savvy; it’s full of utilitarian details.”But it also includes some whimsy, she says.” This combination of whimsy and the utilitarian makes his designs very recognizable on the streets.

The brand focuses on three main themes or collection types. The first is Remade, a limited edition collection. Sass emphasizes, “It’s proudly reconstructed in the UK from surplus materials, products and artifacts, predominantly military or other utilitarian uniforms and materials. So, parachutes and tents as well. It’s included in their labels.” The second is Reduced, focused on reworking surplus materials. Sass explains that this collection uses deadstock fabrics, among other materials, that are produced in smaller batches. And finally, there’s Recycled, which uses pre-existing materials and with a focus on green technologies. In sum total, these three collections make up the overall ethos of the brands. As Sass puts it, “it’s the passion. Remade, reduced, recycled is behind everything he does that drives the aesthetic as well as the process.” And she continues, “there’s a lot to learn in revaluing and reusing his particular resources of military and utilitarian uniforms; we’re talking about quality materials that are decommissioned long before they’re worn out.” An example of this is a recent dress Christopher created made out of a parachute. “I think it’s a phenomenal resource of quality materials that are taken out of use, but at the same time, I have an awful lot of life left in them. I think there’s a lot to learn from that,” states Sass, “his ability to create value in places we don’t usually look.”

All of this work has made Christopher the darling of the fashion world. He has won several awards, including the Young Gen awards from London Fashion Week dating back to 2010. And he was just awarded, in 2020, the British Fashion Council’s award for the environmental category.

In addition to his own brand, Christopher is also known for his extensive collaborations. He just finished a collaboration with Aesop, the skincare brand, wherein he produced their packaging out of reclaimed 1960s aeronautical navigation maps. Other collaborations include Moncler, Victorianox, and AATB, which focused on digitized blue Baltic printing. Sass exclaims, “he’s always pushing the envelope in terms of collaborations, in terms of material, experimentation and processes.”

This has led to his appointment as the creative director of Timberland wherein he adds his own aesthetic to the well-known brand. Sass points out that Christopher “has a phenomenal online presence.” She adds, “he was well-known for hosting tours of his lab store in East London, which he made digital during the pandemic and includes discussions, workshops and interviews.” For Christopher, it’s more than about the product itself, it’s about building a community.