Christopher Kane Debuts at Mulberry With Axe Bags

Christopher Kane made his Mulberry creative director debut at London Fashion Week, staging the house's first runway show in nearly a decade.

Mulberry staged its comeback show under new creative director Christopher Kane, who joined after closing his eponymous label in 2023. According to Who What Wear, the label had been absent from the London Fashion Week schedule for almost ten years, making the afternoon show at the Queen Elizabeth II Centre a major draw for industry names. Wallpaper* notes Kane framed the moment with the metaphor of a tree surgeon chopping away branches to encourage new growth — fitting for a house founded in 1971 by Roger Saul whose symbol is the mulberry tree, teased on Instagram with a figure hacking at a trunk. Kane told Wallpaper* that 'heritage is a foundation, not a limitation.'

Both outlets describe a collection built on leather — Mulberry's signature material — cut into structured silhouettes in a subdued palette of black, brown, cream and grey. Who What Wear highlights Bayswater-inspired cut-outs framing dresses and jackets, XXL bags, vinyl trench coats and iridescent layered dresses offering a grown-up take on disco dressing with strictly no glitter. Wallpaper* adds that 'notched' edges recalled the Bayswater flap construction, echoed in scale-like layers on mini dresses, plus axe-blade bags with the Postman's Lock fastening, a harness-style backpack, trompe l'oeil tartan vinyl, and oversized polo shirts inspired by the 'football casuals' Kane grew up near Glasgow.

The stakes are considerable for both parties. Wallpaper* reports that Kane closed his own label in 2023, a closure met with an outpouring of disappointment from the fashion community, with Vogue's Sarah Mower writing earlier this year that his absence had felt like 'almost criminal oversight of a major talent of his generation.' This is Kane's first creative director role at a major fashion house, and he continues to work alongside his sister and creative partner Tammy Kane. For Mulberry, whose Bayswater — introduced in 2003 — remains its bestselling handbag, the show was a bid to sharpen heritage signatures into something contemporary. 'I want to write my own codes,' Kane told Wallpaper*.

Both reviews frame the debut as a confident reset rather than a radical reinvention. Who What Wear calls it a return to the Mulberry spirit — 'distinctly British, deeply rooted in craft' — with those signatures given a sharper, more contemporary edge, while Wallpaper* describes a 'very streamlined, modern, stripped-back look' in Kane's own words. Wallpaper* also notes Kane said the collection was 'really about town, city, country,' imagining a protagonist traversing those worlds, with references spanning school uniforms, rugby kits and British tailoring. The roaring ovation reported by Wallpaper* suggests the industry is ready to embrace his second chance.