Princess of Wales’ dress designer on brink of collapse
By Daniel Woolfson
A Scottish clothing designer favoured by the Princess of Wales is on the brink of collapse.
Christopher Kane, whose dresses have been worn by the Princess to numerous public engagements over the years, filed notice to appoint administrators on Monday, court documents show.
The Princess of Wales, with the Prince of Wales, in Dundee in 2015 wearing a custom-made Scottish blue coat by Christopher Kane.Credit: Getty Images
The business is pinning its hopes on finding a buyer to rescue it, and has lined up insolvency expert FTS Recovery to oversee the process.
North Lanarkshire-born designer Christopher Kane, 40, founded the eponymous label with his sister, Tammy Kane, in 2006 in London. His dresses, which can cost upwards of £1000 ($1900), have won many accolades over the years.
The Princess of Wales has had bespoke items of clothing made for her by the designer for special occasions. In 2015, she was pictured wearing a custom-made Scottish blue coat by Christopher Kane to visit the Dundee Repertory Theatre with her husband, the Prince of Wales.
Tammy Kane and Christopher Kane.Credit: Getty Images
However, the Princess is far from the only celebrity to have a penchant for the label. Other famous wearers have included Michelle Obama, actors such as Anne Hathaway and Cate Blanchett, as well as Rihanna, FKA Twigs and Florence Welch from Florence & The Machine.
Michelle Obama wearing a black crystal-embellished suit by Christopher Kane.Credit: AP
Kane was also responsible for giving Crocs their catwalk debut in 2016 when he put an upmarket spin on the clogs at London Fashion Week, creating a pair adorned with rough mineral stones.
The Kane siblings sold a 51 per cent stake in the company to the €60 billion ($97 billion) French luxury retail group Kering, which owns Gucci, Balenciaga and Alexander McQueen in 2013. Soon after this, the first Christopher Kane store opened in London’s Mayfair.
Fashion designer Christopher Kane sent his models on the runway wearing Crocs.Credit: Christopher Kane
However, the siblings bought back the stake in 2018 when Kering began to focus more heavily on bigger brands.
Christopher Kane’s most recent company accounts, for the year to December 31, 2021, reveal the business was forced to embark on “an extensive cost-cutting campaign” after its stores were shuttered during the pandemic.
A spokesman for Christopher Kane said: “This difficult decision has been reached to give the company sufficient time to implement a rescue plan. Key stakeholders have been notified.
“A period of accelerated marketing activity will now follow, with a view to locating potential interested parties to either refinance the company’s existing debt, or alternatively locate a purchaser for the business and assets.”
The Telegraph, London
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