Christopher Raeburn’s eco friendly designs for men and women would have made fellow Brit, Winston Churchill proud. This talented designer upcycles (a form of recycling where new products are made using other products that have become disused or retired) re-appropriated military jackets, Eurostar uniforms and old Belgium army tank suits into ethically beautiful jackets. They are visually exciting in an earthy palette with burnished neutrals, cutting edge design and tons of history. The originals never saw combat duty and were found inside a UK surplus warehouse with the packaging labels from the 50′s still on.
In an interview with Fiona Sibley of the Guardian.co.uk he said “My reasons for using this fabric is twofold: firstly, it is functional and waterproof. Secondly, the military always has to overproduce its garments, so there are warehouses with thousands of square feet of military surplus sitting around. For me, giving that a new lease of life is very interesting.”
His Battledress parka featured in the August 2010 issue of Vogue hit just in time as I was dreading the search for a new fall jacket. Now I’m praying for snowfall. Thanks to Raeburn I’ll be doing sorties in my Battledress and Wellies on the 9th grade soccer field.
His upcycled parachute parkas take on a different tone. So bright, light and whimsical they’ll have you doing rain dances. They’re fully waterproof so no threat of getting wet.
Raeburn has very limited distribution right now. He currently sells through Barney’s in the United States. If you want to be one of the lucky few, move fast. This is just the type of special line that can heat up your outerwear business.
As Winston Churchill said ” I am easily satisfied with the very best”. So am I. If you are too, Christopher Raeburn is one of the very best new designers on the horizon. So pick up the telly now and call. Jolly Good Luck!
Where to find it:
Exhibition at Somerset House
Strand
London
WC2R 1LA
17 – 21 September 2010
Sales
Christopher Raeburn
christopher@christopherraeburn.co.uk
Tel:(+)44 (0) 78 8428 4560
Studio@christopherraeburn.co.uk
T +44(0) 208-5250-687
France
Tranoi Parc Royal, The Loft
10/12 Parc Royal
Paris
75003
France
I love this line because I love anything that’s recycled and the military look! I used to shop the military suppliers in CA back in the late 80′s -the jackets were so well made -I had a great black army jacket that the swat teams used to wear…had it for years…wish I still did! Thanks for sharing this designer -can’t wait to get my hands on one of the coats. Let’s hope more designers follow their lead with the upcycling.