For anyone trying to build a menswear company, Christian Kimber should be a case study. He’s a young, 28 year-old designer, born and bred in the south of England, but now living as a transplant in Australia. Over the last three years, he’s built a small, globally distributed label – carried at boutiques such as Gentry, as well as major department stores such as Bloomingdales – and recently opened his own brick-and-mortar store in Melbourne (at a time when everyone says B&Ms are dead).
Christian is proof positive that you can do a lot if you’re driven to create. He doesn’t have any formal training – no fashion degree or design internship. As he puts it, everything has been sort of like “running a food truck in order to build up to a restaurant.” Three years ago, he was working odd jobs here in there in London’s fashion industry, doing sales work for My Wardrobe and Selfridges, then a bit of marketing for E. Tautz. It was from being in and around Savile Row that he picked up his love for tailoring.
“At some point, I wanted a pair of olive suede tassel loafers,” he said. “I couldn’t find what I wanted, so I decided to make my own.” Christian designed the prototype, put together a run at a factory, and quickly sold through his inventory online. Most people with that success would charge forward, but Christian took a step back to think more about what he wanted to do with his newfound brand. “I took about a year-and-a-half off to really think about what sort of company would reflect me.”
When Christian came back, he had this contemporary, youthful take on men’s style that sits somewhere between traditional men’s clothing and sportswear. His Goodyear welted shoes, for example, have the form of classic, traditional styles, but are often made with some kind of unexpected detail – modified brouging or a contrast stripe at the heel. Similarly, his pocket squares have uniquely designed, abstracted landscapes, each representing a place in a city. There’s one for the Louvre in Paris, another for the Gherkin building in London, and yet another for the central cathedral in Milan. I count them among my favorites and you can find them at No Man Walks Alone and Exquisite Trimmings (two advertisers on this site).
At the same time, Christian also makes “streetwear” items, such as pins, bracelets, and sneakers. Like his pocket squares, some of these are inspired by his travels. Christian sketched out the design for his Lower Fifth Mid Top, my favorite sneaker from him at the moment, while he was in NYC, watching people pass by in Washington Square Park.
The thing I like most about Christian’s work is that it feels relevant without necessarily being trendy. He has a unique view of men’s style that fits in well with companies such as Stoffa and Eidos (the second of which uses his shoes in their lookbooks), but also marches to a different beat. The styling may not be as immediately intuitive as what you see from RRL or Saint Laurent, but Christian’s personal style gives a lot of cues. He likes shirt jackets with baggy chinos, washed sport coats with fatigues. I think of it as Loro Piana with a streetwear edge.
“Some people wonder how can you have pocket squares and sneakers under the same label, but I’m coming out out with a fuller menswear line later this year, which hopefully will show my my view on things,” says Christian. That line will include garment-washed polos, full-legged fatigues, and multi-pocketed shirt jackets. He’s also doing made-to-measure leather jackets right now in-store.
If you’re looking to start a menswear brand, Christian has some advice:
- Take It Slow. “Don’t dive in too quickly. Especially in fashion, where things can change from season-to-season, you want a vision you can stick with.”
- Rely on Networks. “You’ll have friends who’ll want to help you – maybe people you’ve met through the industry or even old customers. There are lots of people nowadays looking for outlets for their creative talents. Reach out to those people to see if they can help you with photography or web design. Sometimes a friend will know a friend.”
- Be Authentic. “Create things that represent you. It’s easy nowadays to make a facade that fits in with a trend or makes a grand showing. To really resonate with people, I think you have to be authentic.”
- Do it Yourself. “Don’t be afraid to take on new challenges. When I opened my store, I made the shelves, did the tiling, and painted the walls. I always assume if someone else can do it, I can learn.”
You can visit Christian’s shop online, although if you’re in Melbourne, consider popping into his store. Christian tells me he has a chessboard, a comfy couch, and fresh coffee. “I want to make this like a barbershop, where people can just come to hang out,” he says.
