Championing innovative and responsible fashion design at RÆBURN, Timberland and on Mars

One of the most well-regarded names in sustainable fashion, Christopher Raeburn has been championing innovative and responsible fashion design since leaving the Royal College of Art in 2006 and through his label RÆBURN, since 2009.

American Vogue's August 2010 issue highlighted Raeburn's contribution to all things green with the advice to "Remember the four R's – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and RÆBURN", accompanied by a Mario Testino shoot of Blake Lively wearing a RÆBURN Duffle Coat.

Raeburn is known for his resourceful approach, thoughtful collaborations, and since 2018 as Global Creative Director at Timberland. In this Q&A interview Jodi Muter-Hamilton finds out from Christopher Raeburn; how he has crafted his design practice over time and is now applying that at Timberland, what we’ll be wearing on Mars and his favourite place to visit.

JMH Ten years on from 2009 showing in Paris, received an award from the International Ethical Fashion Forum and gaining support from Esthetica (an initiative co-founded by Orsola de Castro which she ran between 2006 - 2014 at the British Fashion Council’s London Fashion week), how do you feel the fashion industry right now has changed for better and worse?

CR It is a brilliant moment for the industry if you ask me. For sure there is a lot that needs to change, but the innovation that is happening around responsible design is ground-breaking. To now be operating the business in the way we do, where we are specifically trying to push innovation forward in a modern way, is really exciting. We’re really proud not only to be challenging ourselves but also the industry as a whole on moving things forward.

JMH As recycling innovators and pioneers of waste reuse for high-end fashion, do you feel the rest of the industry has finally caught up or is this just the beginning?

CR I am positive about the changes that are starting to take place; both in terms of new emerging designers and even bigger brands which are reconsidering their approach. I started using recycled materials at the beginning of my university life simply because it was a more resourceful way of working and the process interested me. But, now that the issues of our consumerist lifestyles are starting to truly receive mass attention, triggering more emotional connections with waste and our individual contributions, the momentum is there. To observe this change and be at the forefront of it is extremely exciting for us as a brand.

JMH As a frequent collaborator with brands including; Rapha, Moncler, Barbour, Fred Perry, Umbro and The North Face, how important is it for you to work with other brands and not just create everything under the RÆBURN label?

CR Since working with Swiss heritage brand Victorinox on a RÆMADE project in 2011, collaboration has become a key component of RÆBURN’s approach to design. We have extended the way we work with partners around the world, reimagining existing designs, championing innovation and drawing a growing network of collaborators into our responsible design world.

JMH We were invited to attend the launch of VF Axtell Soho, VF Corporation’s experiential brand showcase in Soho, London, where you shared your vision as Global Creative Director for Timberland. What resonated with us was the scale of impact you can have as an instrumental part of such a large organisation. What lessons from RÆBURN have you now put into action at Timberland?

CR It's been an honour taking on the role as Global Creative Director at Timberland. Over the last year, we've been working hard to put our new Creative Vision into place; it's the intersection of our passion for nature and the energy of fashion that gives Timberland a unique place in the industry. The thing that attracted me to the role in the first place is Timberland's long tradition around quality products and responsible design, what's been so inspiring is that I've had the opportunity to bring some of the learnings from RÆBURN (for example our hands-on making approach and agility as a business) to Timberland and now we're already transforming the brand yet further to be a modern, positive force for change which is able to have a truly global impact.

JMH You are champions of ‘open studio’ tours, welcoming people into RÆBURN. Why is this so important to you?

CR The RÆBURN Lab tours are a way for us to highlight and celebrate the transparency of our unique business. Starting as an experiment years ago, they proved to be a really successful way to connect with our community of customers, fans and students. I’d like to think that engaging with them in this way somehow inspires them to think more creatively and consciously. Finally, we’re proud to support Off-Centre with the proceeds of each tour. They’re a fantastic local charity supporting the needs of young people in Hackney.

JMH How do you measure how sustainable a garment is and how do you communicate that to customers?

CR At RÆBURN we only do three things; RÆMADE (using existing materials such as military surplus to regenerate into product), RÆDUCE (reduced impact by producing locally, using biodegradable materials, or organic cotton etc.) and RÆCYCLE (post-consumer plastics recycled into synthetics fabrics). As we're relatively small we are often unable to have a measurable or comparable metric behind such decisions, but we are always looking to improve on the current status. It's important to recognise that 'sustainability' is not a binary position, but a dynamic state - what we learn tomorrow will inform more responsible design decisions for products in 1, 5, and 10 years down the line.

“It’s important to recognise that ‘sustainability’ is not a binary position, but a dynamic state.”

— Christopher Raeburn

JMH Do you feel that efficiency and sustainability are directly linked?

CR Yes absolutely – although unfortunately there are semantics around 'efficiency' where sometimes the ambition is to produce products as cheaply as possible irrespective of the human or environmental cost, let alone the quality of the end product. In a positive sense, we look to optimise efficiency at every step by reducing impact and waste, energy and water consumption, distance travelled and packaging. Whilst also maximising utilisation and durability, improving fit and comfort, and designed value-in-use (repairing and rejuvenating where needed). Even colour can be made 'efficient' by how versatile it is.

JMH What are you working on at the moment for RÆBURN?

CR As always, there’s a lot of various projects going on. In a nutshell, we are finalising our SS20 collection as well as building on AW20. Naturally, there are more collaboration projects in the works too, so it’ll be great to showcase more innovative materials, ideas and RÆMADE concepts when the time comes.

JMH How did you decide what to showcase in the Design Museum’s Moving to Mars exhibition? And do you feel we may end up living on Mars?

CR The exhibition is actually exhibiting pieces from our SS20 NEW HORIZONS collection (pictured above), which is inspired by the make-do-and-mend approach on Mars. It’s all about doing more with less; using materials that us humans would have to hand, such as parachutes from landing vessels. The reflective RÆMADE pieces that feature are also reworked from solar blankets; made of durable insulating material designed by NASA for space exploration. Will we live on Mars? It’s definitely a possibility. But if we do, I really hope we go with the realisation of what we did to Planet Earth and the attitude that we need to approach Mars in a better way.

JMH What are your top three tips for how we can use our experience and influence to create a more sustainable industry?

CR I think promoting curiosity about materials and make; where did your clothes come from? Who made them? What will happen to them at the end of their first life? All this is critical, so we really value the education and inspiration aspect of our community. Similarly, being open, honest and sharing knowledge. We love having people in for studio tours and workshops to learn a skill and create one-off products. Finally, we need to be brave and challenge existing conventions and models. We need to highlight the industry’s current issues and confidently experiment with new materials, techniques and methods. This way we can overcome the status quo and transition to a circular, positive impact system that benefits all involved.

“Promote curiosity about materials and make.
Be open, honest and share knowledge.
Be brave and challenge existing conventions.”

— Christopher Raeburn

JMH Can you share with us three things (People, Place, Possession) that enrich your business and life?

CR People: David Attenborough!
Place: The Horniman Museum in Forest Hill, close to my home.
Possession: A RÆMADE Horseshoe Nail Knife. It was produced by Victorinox as part of one of the first collaborations I worked on; we only made 100 and each was unique and individually numbered.