Cabourn and Karrimor celebrate British heritage and the great outdoors.
When it comes to premium outerwear, British heritage designer Nigel Cabourn is something of an expert, so when the call came about a possible collaboration with the outdoors brand Karrimor, the answer was an unhesitating yes.
Founded in 1946 in Lancashire, Karrimor has a solid reputation as an innovative British outdoors brand, and as a result, the renowned veteran designer, who has 40 years’ experience in the fashion industry, and the much loved brand came together to launch an exclusive 12 piece collection in London.
The venue was Cabourn’s flagship store – the Army Gym in Covent Garden where the new Karrimor Autumn/Winter 2105 collection including the Nigel Cabourn line and the new Karrimor K100 collection was unveiled.
Featuring 12 exclusive garments designed by Nigel Cabourn, all of which are made in England and carry the hallmark Cabourn military and work wear aesthetics, it’s Karrimor’s most fashion-forward outerwear collaboration and uses the most advanced technologies and best materials they’ve ever created.
One of Cabourn’s signature garments – the Mountain Rucksack Jacket was inspired by the original 1960 Joe Brown Rucksack and the US World War II 10th Mountain Division Ski Forces who wore jackets with built-in rucksacks to carry their kit.
The complete Karrimor K100 collection is a sixty piece range of cutting-edge high quality jackets and coats which brings together six decades of innovation and craftsmanship using superior fabric technology and is named after the world’s first weatherproof and flexible nylon fabric, known as Ks-100e.
Key pieces include the Arcade Parka jacket- crafted from a combination of premium and weatherproof fabrics. This quilted classic garment with its adjustable toggle waist is an ideal choice for staying warm this winter.
Never afraid of colour, K100 also offers a vibrant and contemporary range of casual wear including beautifully made soft cotton jumpers, jogging bottoms and casual polo shirts.
At the party to celebrate the collaboration, Nigel Cabourn was joined by a host of famous faces including BBC Countryfile presenter Helen Skelton and rowing champion, the double Olympic gold medallist James Cracknell.
When asked why he chose to collaborate with Karrimor Cabourn explained, “For me to agree a collaboration with another company there has to be a strong connection. Karrimor shares a British brand heritage, so it was right up my street! In fact, when I created my first limited edition collection back in 2003 called the ‘Ascent of Cabourn’, which celebrated the 50 year anniversary of Sir Edmund’s Hillary’s achievement of being the first man to climb to the top of Everest, one of the things that totally inspired me was the original Karrimor Framed Rucksack from the early 60s.
“Nearly every collaboration I do is all made in England. This is what it’s all about. There’s not much point in somebody like me existing unless I keep to my roots.”
Helen Skelton added, “Cabourn’s collection is a practical outdoor range and we need that. It’s very patriotic, much like me.
“We’ve got the skills, we’ve got the designers and we’ve got good quality. The fact we are making and designing something here in Britain is something to be proud of.”
Cabourn said: “People like heritage brands because they’ve got that reputation for history and longevity.”
A spokesperson for Karrimor said, “Figures show that approximately 90 per cent of the clothes we wear come from abroad, but there is a growing demand for UK-made clothing. We are pleased to have delivered what we believe to be an inspired premium outdoors collection.”
The garments are available through Flannels and Cruise stores. Prices for the Nigel Cabourn collection range from £300-£900 and the K100 collection ranges from £70-£400. The Cabourn collection is also available from Nigel Cabourn’s flagship store, the Army Gym in Covent Garden.
