LFWM18: Christopher Raeburn

AS OUR OCEANS are continually used as a place for criminal activity, from the burgeoning amount of plastic washed up on shores, to the mass murder of the very species that make up its ecosystem, it seems that Christopher Raeburn, for one, has had enough.

Raeburn has always maintained a brand ethos that has had sustainability and functionality at its core, but this AW18 collection has really rammed the environmental statement home. Models practically squelched onto the catwalk, replete with hair that could have been caught in an Atlantic storm, and the sounds of the ocean reverberated across the Show Space. Thankfully, however, this ship-wreck produced a particularly fruitful bounty.

To begin, there was a fabulous array of anoraks and puffers on show, all made with new and pioneering materials. Raeburn continues to pair the classic colours of black, navy and grey with more jarring hues of neon orange and yellow, which ensures that this bold fashion statement never strays too far from its life-saving roots.

It was brilliant to see Raeburn’s namesake integrated into his clothes in new ways as well. This collection, the words of Raeburn, Recycle and Re-use were neatly arranged along the straps and zips of coats and waistlines, re-enforcing Raeburn’s knack for combining awareness with branding and environmental matters.

There were some stimulating collaborations in this collection too. Fellow Royal College of Art graduate Nikeisha Nelson helped to create the bucket bags that models slung over their shoulders, while cold water surf brand Finisterre shared their expertise with Raeburn to create outerwear, knitwear, tees and exploration accessories, some daubed with images of the famed sea-faring bird the albatross.

To Raeburn, every piece must be sourced appropriately, so its no surprise that footwear brand Palladium were enlisted to produce the recyclable rubber, polyester and scuba material for the shoes.

It is clear that Raeburn’s pre-occupation with the world’s ocean is much more than just a fashion fad, and Glass sincerely hopes that Raeburn continues to champion activism in his forth-coming collections. Anyone who says that fashion cannot be sustainable only needs to look to Raeburn to be emphatically proven otherwise.

by Gemma Power