Designer CHRISTIAN KIMBER returns to his roots in Melbourne and talks taking his brand to the next level, adding exciting new propositions to his collection of classic pieces…
In his first independent showcase at the recent PayPal Melbourne Fashion Festival, Christian Kimber assembled an exclusive range of guests for the launch of his latest collection at the Hilton Little Queen Street’s restaurant, Luci. The splendorous boutique hotel and dining room was once Melbourne’s first synagogue. For an afternoon, it became a place where a select group came to worship at a different kind of altar: style. “We have clients who come to us every month and we’re their shop [so] it was lovely to do something for them locally. We’re a Melbourne brand and have a big base here,” Christian tells MAXIM.
A magnificent string quartet provided the musical ambience for the presentation, performing orchestral versions of torch songs like Simple Minds’ “Don’t You (Forget About Me)”, as models descended a grand staircase and walked along a central runway before ascending a maze-like set of stairs at the rear. Cleverly, this course allowed the clothes to be viewed on different plains simultaneously. All the classic Kimber pieces were there: the sumptuous houndstooth overcoats, knitted polos and chore jackets, but also some new propositions. Corduroy and denim made their debut, as did more lightweight, technical fabrications, designed to suit a return to work in the mercurial Australian climate. “There’s a new way to dress post-COVID that’s still refined but a little bit more relaxed,” declares Christian. A constant theme every season is the brand’s emphasis on producing lived-in garments. The worn-in, washed-out appearance achieved through the garment dyeing process is synonymous with Christian Kimber.
The pleasure of Kimber’s collection is the fullness. For the warmer months, Christian showed seersucker trousers and blazers and his iconic Riviera polo shirts in new colourways like ochre and ivory. “I don’t really do branding on my clothes. People hopefully know us by my silhouette and the materials we use. My guy doesn’t need logos.” Speaking of materials, finer herringbone overcoats were styled on top of wool turtlenecks and crew-neck knits for winter.
Kimber also reimagined bomber jackets and puffer vests in goat suede, with refined pocket details that fully embraced the current nostalgia for the ’70s. The true show stopper was a Halston-esque suede trench coat. Christian’s take on suede is unique to say the least. Forget delicate suede shoes you have to spray down constantly and diligently avoid puddles while wearing. His suede pieces were lived in and even a little beat up. After all, what is more luxurious than making delicate fabrics appear carefree?
Part of the magic of a Kimber presentation is the carefully mixed audience and intimacy. Here, CEOs mingle with artistic types, clients and friends of the designer over champagne and something delicious. I was seated next to a commercial lawyer by trade. Dressed in his prized Kimber sports coat, he’d first worn this piece to a summer wedding and it had since become a wardrobe staple. For a designer, repeat wearers are a huge compliment, or as Kimber puts it “the fact that people buy us and wear it to death.”
Among the professional mannequins were a few well-placed ‘normal guys’, another staple of Kimber presentations. There was brand favourite Gerry, a software engineer and model who opened the show by picking up a guitar and strumming a few bars of The Beatles’ “Eleanor Rigby” – now that’s a renaissance man. The age diversity among the models was a testament to Christian’s broad appeal. His designs look just as suave and stylish on a 60-year-old silver fox as they do on Cody Simpson, who recently wore one of Kimber’s polos in a music video.
Unlike most designers, who rely heavily on celebrities (both living and dead) as style icons and inspirations, Christian is reluctant to attach too much importance to them. “We idolise these guys but they’re horrible men,” Kimber says of overplayed style icons like Paul Newman. He also isn’t keen on celebrity dressing as a concept. “I don’t give things to people because it doesn’t make sense! Come to us when you know who you are as a man. Just sending things around to people and hoping they’d wear it didn’t feel authentic.”
Alas, for Christian the greatest compliment is when men choose to spend their hard-earned money on his pieces. “We’re completely client led. I’m very much creating for our client’s lifestyles.” The decision to add denim to his repertoire was years in the works, and it was the demand of clients that finally convinced him. “The reason we didn’t do jeans from the start is that it’s very difficult to get right. You need to find the right denim and we’re now at a point where we’ve got them right.”
From luxe suede to the perfect denim, the collection was undeniably a celebration of a return to more ordinary (albeit elevated) life, as cities properly re-open post pandemic. A few nights later the collection was repeated during the GQ group show to close out the festival, transporting the clothes back to a more traditional runway setting. They shone there, too. “People are searching for garments that hit that note and make them feel special,” Kimber sums up. “If we can make clothes that make people feel good that’s where my happiness comes from.” ■
Shop Christian Kimber at his Melbourne boutiques, Harrold’s and at www.christiankimber.com
By REILLY SULLIVAN
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