FOCUS: RAEBURN
Sustainability has become the main topic of conversation in the fashion world. Today, almost 10 years after Christopher Raeburn began producing his first garments from recycled materials when hardly anyone was going in that direction, Raeburn is considered a visionary and one of the industry's most promising designers.
His goal, first and foremost, is to raise awareness among consumers, make durable quality garments and try to save the planet through greater transparency in the textile industry. A complicated challenge that is undoubtedly worth fighting for.
Christopher Raeburn grew up in rural Kent on the outskirts of London. There, he played with his father and siblings to collect used items, deconstruct them and over the weekend, rebuild them. A game that years later would become a legacy for the fashion world.
From the age of eleven, Christopher Raeburn - together with his brothers - joined Air Cadet, the junior division of the Royal Air Force. Because of this experience, he developed a fascination for military garments and original functional fabrics.
Fascinated by military materials, utilitarian clothing and essential functionality, Christopher Raeburn decided to join the Royal College of Art in London. There he found something very exciting in going out to look for original objects and then turning them into something new - as he used to do in his childhood - which led him organically to the ethos of his brand: RÆMADE, RÆDUCED, RÆCYCLED and RÆBURN. A spirit and a philosophy to which he remains faithful by channeling his deconstructed garments into pioneering collections that have marked the designer as a true leader in the fashion scene.
Raeburn graduated from the Royal College of Art in London in 2006 with a reconstructed line of reversible military garments entitled "Inverted". After that, he set up his studio in some old Burberry installations in the heart of an old industrial district of East London. To this day, every RÆBURN piece is a limited edition, proudly cut and reconstructed in England.
Rather than contributing to this "endless waste" of materials he denounces, Christopher Raeburn prefers to "remake" and give new life to discarded objects. From protective immersion suits to create women's and men's coats to a rubber boat that ended up transforming into jackets and bags.
He finds his raw materials by tracking the Internet, in flea markets, abroad, making military surpluses or activating contacts he prefers to keep secret.
RÆBURN's business model presents obstacles, because it is difficult to maintain the high competitive pace in this sector by resorting to waste materials, but is not something that discourages him, in fact, quite the opposite.
"Every day is a challenge, but that's the exciting thing, who wants to lead a boring life?"
In 2013 Raeburn not only won the "Designer Business of the Year" at the UK Fashion and Textiles Awards - among many others throughout his career - but also initiated two important collaborations with Rapha and Fred Perry and ended the year being appointed Artistic Director of Victorinox Fashion, as a result of previous collaborations.
Five years later, after numerous excellent collections showcased all around the globe that featured collaborations with Moncler, Barbour, North Face and even Disney - among others - the US brand Timberland announced the appointment of Christopher Raeburn as their first Global Creative Director.
Christopher Raeburn is not only considered the single most radical designer working today, also a leader in the race for sustainability.
The recycling of materials and the use of green technologies is fundamental to the production process. RÆBURN takes into account the impact on the environment, whether recycling materials, minimizing the carbon footprint through local manufacturing or producing smaller batches to reduce waste.
RÆBURN has become a world-renowned and acclaimed firm whose design is characterized by being innovative, responsible, creative, collaborative and sustainable.
Making strong and sustainable decisions that provide us with a completely unique and desirable product - which we personally love - Christopher Raeburn's initiatives inspire young designers to consider their approach to design and serve as a guide and example to all those who want to do things better. Thanks to Christopher Raeburn's contribution, it's clear that even in difficult times, creativity shines through.
