London Fashion Week | Kane and able

Everyone is packing up and leaving for Milan, but our thoughts are still on a strong London Fashion Week, albeit one without the major American buyers who have stayed away due to the rise of the pound -- or more accurately, the fall of the dollar. We liked the bold graphism of Duro Olowu, the long (but apparently unwalkable) silhouette of Marios Schwab, the fuzzy prints at Erdem, and the spaceage knits of Louise Goldin.

But our  highlight again was Christopher Kane, a man continues to live up to the very high expectations placed on him by an industry desperate to find London's next great designer -- someone in the league of Alexander McQueen, John Galliano, and Vivienne Westwood.

The fact that Kane continues to impress is a good sign, and his designs are maturing nicely, but we won't know for sure how far he will take his career for many years yet. Even though we are in the world of fast fashion, it still takes years for a designer to prove they have the creative, mental, financial and physical stamina to keep it up over the long term. That said, we suspect that this is only the beginning of Christopher Kane's career and his consistently strong collections are beginning to show that he has the staying power to ride it out for the long-term.

In this video by Suzy Menkes of the International Herald Tribune, the night before his show, a humble (and reassuringly calm) Kane explains the challenges of building a business under the spotlight of the global fashion industry. "It's hard here in London," he told Menkes. "It's a constant struggle for London designers to better themselves. But with the resources in London, it's hard."

We couldn't agree more. Read our Manifesto for Change for nurturing the next generation of fashion talent and don't miss the comments section, where readers like Diane Pernet, Gentry Lane, Marko, artefact212, Anjo and others are weighing in on the discussion. Thanks to everyone for  your  insights.

Comments

[Anjo]

I'd like to stay away from hailing Kane as the next Whoever, but I agree his collection was very good and I hope very strongly things continue to go well for him. When will he find a big investor to inject some liquidity into his business?

[artefact212]

The Queen is in the house. God bless Viv. Did you check out her jersey dresses? Talk about the return of the little black dress, Viv should of designed Halston. Modern, feminine, sexy and approachable. This is a money in the bank collection. Now onto the gold in Paris. Go Viv Go!!