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British fashion designer Christopher Kane has been named as the new creative director of Mulberry.

The Glaswegian-born designer will relaunch the heritage English brand’s ready-to-wear womenswear collection, with his debut reportedly to be unveiled next September at London fashion week, before landing in stores and online from January 2027.

Response within the British fashion industry has been jubilant. According to Vogue, “the shout of glee at the news that Christopher Kane is the new creative director at Mulberry was practically audible across London this morning”.

It will be the first time Mulberry has done a catwalk show since February 2017 and it will be a welcome return to the schedule for Kane, who counts Michelle Obama, Rihanna, Alexa Chung, Kendrick Lamar and FKA twigs among his fans. Mulberry would be the biggest name on the London fashion week schedule after Burberry, providing a heartening jolt for the event, which has recently lacked big-brand recognition.

Seen as a generational talent, the designs Kane put out under his own eponymous label, which he founded alongside his sister, Tammy, in 2006 after graduating from Central Saint Martins, were much beloved. His sense of fun and hedonism, eye for a good party dress and smart reference have made him a favourite on red carpets and beyond.

In 2013, the luxury conglomerate Kering acquired a 51% stake of the business. Then in 2018, Kane bought his label back, before being forced to shut it during the pandemic in 2020. The post-Covid closures of other British brands, such as Susie Cave’s The Vampire’s Wife and Cefinn, are further evidence of the challenges faced by independent designers in Britain.

Kane is widely known for his “More Joy” slogan, which first appeared at his autumn/winter 2018 show and borrowed from the 1972 erotic manual The Joy of Sex. A dress from the collection featuring the word “Rubberist”, with a picture of rubber gloves on it, was worn by Lena Dunham at the 2019 Met Gala.

The Scottish designer draws inspiration from a wide range of sources, including Frankenstein, The Planet of the Apes, nature and the worlds of kink and fetish. His spring/summer 2011 collection cited “Princess Margaret on acid” as a guiding idea.

His CV includes a stint working with Donatella Versace – his 2006 graduate collection had apparently caught her eye, and designing collections for Topshop. He previously won the Vogue Fashion Fund and four British Fashion Awards, including Womenswear Designer of the Year. He hasn’t been entirely absent since shutting his own label: in 2024 he collaborated with Self-Portrait on a residency collection.

Founded as a leather goods company in Somerset in 1971, Mulberry is famous for its handbags, particularly the Alexa, a cross-body satchel designed for Alexa Chung that launched in 2010 at the height of her 00s It-girl era. The Bayswater is another 00s classic, carried by Kate Moss, Sienna Miller and Jennifer Lopez.

Former creative directors include Emma Hill, Stuart Vevers, the British designer now in his 13th year at the quintessentially American brand Coach, and Jonny Coca, who was the last to work at the brand, exiting in 2020 after five years.

Mulberry has been struggling in recent years – laying off about 85 of its workforce globally in 2024 and seeing off a takeover bid from billionaire Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group – and will be hoping Kane can help revive its fortunes.

According to Andrea Baldo, CEO of Mulberry: “Christopher brings a rare combination of creativity, intellectual rigour and instinctive playfulness, alongside a deep respect for craft and materials. His vision resonates strongly with Mulberry’s heritage and the spirit of British creativity that defines the house.”