CONTENTS 8-9
INTRODUCTION
14 - 15 INSPIRATION 16 - 17 TARGET CONSUMER 18 - 21 BRANDING IMAGE 22 - 23 SUSTAINABILITY 24 - 25 COLLABORATION
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INTRODUCTION Christopher Raeburn studied at the Royal College of Art and his first graduate collection in 2006 in-captured a range of reversible garments titled’. It was in this collection where Chris displayed a knowledge of sustainability and an ethical integrity in his work. His graduate collection was labelled Godspeed. The basis of Godspeed was a collection inspired by clothing extremes which harnessed the functional beauty of a modern city and dwelling nomadic lifestyles. Layered silks, heavy military wools, unique digital prints, conjured leather accessories and laser cut sterling silver fitting combine to provide a strong, wearable, feminine profile. These fabrics can still be found in Chris’s collections today, he utilises military waste materials such as parachutes, nets and disused items of military clothing. The show was critiqued for being urban without being cliched. Chris, who used digitally produced prints for his first collection, has always liked the experimentation of the arts and the process involved in product or graphic design. Chris often takes a unique innovative approach to creating menswear, womenswear and accessories in his design studio located in Hackney Central. His Remade ethos guides and influences every aspect of his design process: this sustainability mindset is evident from Chris’s university day up till present.
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BRAND MESSAGE
The Raeburn brand carries a simple message; the brand is ‘A manifesto for change’ and Chris stated that ‘ We can’t continue to consume the way we are’. His whole brand is about encouraging a fashionable sustainability. It’s about complete design and embracing forward thinking fabrics and cutting edge technologies but mixing these elements with vintage military cloths and original detailing. Chris’s vintage military aesthetic and be see clearly throughout his designs and displays a clear British vibe. The best of British vibe helps widen his message of sustainability by using British skilled craftsmen and women and also sourcing all his materials in Britain in order to minimise the clothing’s and brands carbon footprint.
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‘The company started almost as a happy accident It was a love of the materials, and a fascination that you couldn’t buy them on a roll even if you wanted to. This lead me into finding and making garments that were ultimately contemporary and wearable and had that story behind them.’
TARGET CONSUMER
Raeburn targets a niche market, which is slowly attracting the younger generation due to his strong brand narrative of sustainability and its growing importance in the modern world. Aged 24 - 46 , the clothing brand isn’t cheap to purchase but holds it value so often consumers who buy in to the brand see it as an investment / lifestyle choice. Even-though the price tag maybe high the quality of the clothing is exceptional and has a long lifespan (with the option to take the item back in to the design studio to be repaired if it has a fault). The consumer is responsibly sustainable and the wardrobe reflects their sustainable choices often not following mainstream fashion trends.
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BRANDING IMAGE
Raeburn’s first collection featured a range of outerwear constructed of original military parachutes, with military wear fast becoming an iconic signature of the company.His look is very often utilitarian meets streetwear aesthetic. At the core of Raeburn’s brand is sustainability but while maintaining sustainability his image also displays an ode to British culture. From using British skilled workers to sourcing all this materials in Britain, his military wear shows a strong connection to Raeburn's belief of using what is around him as inspiration. Raeburn stated ‘Don’t sell a brand as sustainable, sell the design’ and this is shown in his branding and design process. He designs to 5 elements: concept, function, aesthetic, muse and technique. Each have sustainability in mind sustainability in mind .
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Photos
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SUSTAINABILITY Raeburn displays a circular approach to streetwear and hosts repair open day at his studio, where customers can bring their garments to be repaired for free. Raeburn is a leading advocate of sustainability and, as a fashion brand, believes it’s his responsibility to minimise his effect on the planet and educate others in order to adapt to a more sustainable way of living. We currently live in a world of over - consumption and fast fashion and its became pivotal that the vision of purposeful design is even greater. Raeburn completely stuck to this message behind his brand and therefore didn’t partake in the Black Friday Sales. In his protest against consumerism Raeburn stated that ‘We simply cannot continue to consume the way we do’. Normally, Raeburn on Black Friday would donate a proportion of his profits back to the community or to charity, however this year Black Friday Sales ballooned with e-commerce retailers such as Pretty Little Thing having discounts of up to 99%. Raeburn decided to close his store and website in a protest against mass consumption.
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COLLABORATION Collaboration opens brands up to a new complementary market and allows their brand to reach out to a potential new consumer market. Collaborations also gives a signal from one brand that another can be trusted. A brand such as Raeburn is a powerful brand to collaborate with in the sustainability market. Since Raeburn’s brand is transparently sustainable and he has built a strong brand image around this idea, it means that when he does collaborate with other brands it signals to his customers that this brand can be trusted. Raeburn doesn’t just collaborate with anyone: he choses specific brands who’s brand message correlates with his own. Sustainability is at the forefront of the Raeburn brand meaning that any collaboration with a sustainability brand can only strengthen the idea and goals of what Raeburn wants to achieve through design: creating a sustainable world to live in through fashion. This message can also be seen through Raeburn’s Hackney LIFT. Raeburn has collaborated with the likes of Depop, The North Face, Timberland, Save The Duck and Moncler to name a few. Through all his collaborations Raeburn strengthens the idea of coming together as a fashion industry and working together to combine ideas and develop innovative designs with sustainability at the heart of the product and process.
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Collab photos
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REFRENCE Lau, S. (2006). Christopher Raeburn: Definitely NOT a reality show dropout. Available: https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:EcXYApR9qk4J:https://stylebubble.co.uk/style_bubble/2006/04/christopher_rae-2.html+&cd=12&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=uk&client=safari. Last accessed 12th Jan 2020. Alexander, E. (2018). Christopher Raeburn has closed his shop on Black Friday in protest of consumerism. Available: https://www.harpersbazaar.com/uk/fashion/fashion-news/a25288114/christopher-raeburn-closed-his-shop-on-black-friday-in-protest/. Last accessed 14th Jan 2020. Istrator, A. (2018). CHRISTOPHER RAEBURN’S SENDS A STRONG SUTAINABLE MESSAGE WITH HIS LATEST COLLECTION. Available: https://www.interlaced.co/article/christopher-raeburns-sends-a-strong-sutainable-messagewith-his-latest-collection. Last accessed 14th Jan 2020. Victoria and Albert Museum. (2016). Fashion in Motion: Christopher Raeburn. Available: https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/fashion-in-motion-christopher-raeburn. Last accessed 15th Jan 2020. Conlon, S. (2019). Success is sustainable for designer turning waste into fashion statement. Available: https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2019/jan/05/christopher-raeburn-sustainable-design-london-fashion-week-mens. Last accessed 16th Jan 2020. https://www.raeburndesign.co.uk/pages/collaborations Raeburn, C. (n.d). Collaborations. Available: https://www.raeburndesign.co.uk/pages/collaborations. Last accessed 17th Jan 2020.
Figure 1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Raeburn_(designer) Figure 2: https://www.vogue.com/slideshow/christopher-raeburn-raefound-launch Figure 3: https://luxiders.com/christopher-raeburn-eco-menswear/ Figure 4: https://hero-magazine.com/shows/christopher-raeburn-ss19/ Figure 5: https://www.itsnicethat.com/news/christopher-raeburn-rebrand-new-logo-graphic-de sign-160119 Figure 6: http://fuckingyoung.es/christopher-raeburn-ss19-backstage/ Figure 7: https://www.raeburndesign.co.uk Figure 8: https://www.timberland.co.uk/limited-edition/christopher-raeburn.html Figure 9: https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DO72-sbfltwc&psig=AOvVaw1V6qEmDADhs4ss4jdhHJEE&ust=1618047652934000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CA0QjhxqFwoTCNCgkbDv8O8CFQAAAAAdAAAAABAV