PPR buys majority stake in Scots designer Christopher Kane

Fashion editor at large

Tuesday 15 January 2013

Scottish fashion designer Christopher Kane has announced investment in his label from French retail company PPR.

Scottish designer Chris Kane has received major investment

The luxury conglomerate has become a major investor in the brand with a 51 per cent stake.

It’s the first time PPR has invested in a British designer brand since the acquisitions of Stella McCartney and Alexander McQueen in 2001 through the Gucci Group.

Motherwell-born Kane and his business partner and sister Tammy founded the company in 2006 after his graduation from Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design. Kane created one of the most iconic debut catwalk shows by a British designer, was given a personal audience with American Vogue editor Anna Wintour and was hailed as the most refreshing and exciting newcomer since Alexander MxQueen and John Galliano. Over the last few years Kane has become a major attraction and star of London Fashion Week, a favourite of celebrities including Keira Knightley and Alexa Chung, and is credited with being the great hope of British fashion. The partnership will undoubtedly bring major investment for Kane and follows PPR’s mission to empower new creative talent with its ever-increasing portfolio of luxury brands. Industry sources advise that the Scottish fashion duo will open their first stand-alone store in London along with the creation of a second ready-to-wear line. Commenting on the news, Kane said: "We are very excited and honoured to be partnering with PPR for the next stage of development for our brand. "PPR have an incredible reputation for building some of the very best luxury brands in the world. They respect our creative vision and they have the expertise and experience to help us build the Christopher Kane brand globally." François-Henri Pinault, Chairman and CEO of PPR, added: “Christopher is a truly great talent who has shown a real sense of modernity in the way he mixes elegance and subtle constructions. In just a few years he has built a very distinctive and exciting brand with a unique DNA. "I am delighted that Christopher Kane is joining PPR’s portfolio of luxury brands and working with us to further develop his business as a global luxury brand. Christopher Kane is already established as a luxury label and has a tremendous intrinsic growth potential. "We thus have great ambitions for the brand and will enable it to benefit from our expertise and know-how while providing the space for it to further develop its own creative identity." As well as joining British labels Alexander McQueen and Stella McCartney, Kane will also sit alongside fashion houses Balenciaga, Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent within the PPR portfolio. Kane who has been supported by the British Fashion Council for several seasons, is undoubtedly a star they can be proud of. Caroline Rush, CEO of the British Fashion Council, said "This morning’s announcement is great news for Christopher Kane and high end British designers alike. We have an incredible group of designers in London with the potential to become global brands of the future. Our hope is that this partnership signals confidence in British designer businesses and is the start of a series of new investments in the world’s most innovative talents. "Christopher and Tammy have built a brand that pushes the creative boundaries season after season making their show one of the hottest tickets of the global fashion calendar. This partnership will allow them to continue to grow their business and continue to have creative independence." For the fashion industry at the very least, a clear sign indeed that being part of a Union Kingdom has worked for an incredibly talented Scottish brand that is proud of its heritage but benefited from the reputation and support that the British fashion industry has given him.

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PPR buys majority stake in Scots designer Christopher Kane

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