The Good Stuff

You just get the sense that Christopher Raeburn is good person. It’s probably because the main tact of his whole brand is sustainability, and season upon season the designer sticks to his guns. Each collection uses the principle of reusing and remaking — continuing his foraging for military fabrics: waterproof coverings, camo fabrics and rubber suiting all go into the fabrication of his outerwear. Inspired by Mongolia — apparently one of the last truly wild places on earth — outfits claim to look at rich texture in the same way garments worn by traditional Nomadic Herders do. There are big, fluffy knits with matching scarves in maroons and rusty oranges, with furry-panelled backpacks and coarsely woven jeans for Winter. Raeburn’s mantra is evidently wearability — and he manages to incorporate global inspirations without crossing into the dreaded appropriation game.

A Coat Affair

The highlight of the offering was for sure the coats. Icy grey bombers had plasticy, thick lines in khaki printed horizontally upon them; parkas and anoraks were lovely too, but it was the final true show pieces — made from shredded snow-camouflage ponchos — which were sewn edge-ways onto a parka, forming a massive ruffle-gasm that stole the show. They were rather a bolt from the blue indeed, in a collection of otherwise muted, down played pieces. A bit of camp never hurt anyone.

Same Same but Different

The only slight gripe is that it all feels rather the same. Perhaps Raeburn’s MO is to be trendless — and this is a much better thing for the consumer — but there’s a difference between trendlessness and the same when most of the offering felt like seasons before, which often feel like seasons before. So it’s a mixed bag: there’s definitely a load of room for change, but that which was different was beautiful.