Christopher Kane and Mulberry share a comeback runway in London
Two comebacks shared one runway in London on 20 September 2026. Christopher Kane showed his first collection as creative director for Mulberry, the British leather-goods company, at London Fashion Week.
Kane put his own London label into administration in 2023, the British insolvency process in which outside managers take control of a business. Mulberry had its own hard stretch. It fought off a takeover bid after profits fell when higher prices put shoppers off, according to The Guardian.
The joint show was called “Town, city, country”. It was listed on the official calendar as MULBERRY BY CHRISTOPHER KANE, an invite-only catwalk for womenswear in the afternoon slot of 15:30-17:30, according to London Fashion Week.
Leather did the talking. The Kane for Mulberry collection included leather sheath dresses and leather car coats, cut close and plain. Shoes followed the same line. Heeled loafers carried Mulberry’s signature postman’s lock, the metal clasp long used on its bags.
Kane also reworked a familiar Mulberry shape. He took the castellated leather flaps of the Bayswater bag, with their squared notches like castle battlements, and turned them into notched hems and necklines on clothes.
Backstage, Kane said he wants Mulberry to be about “a Britishness that’s not London-centric”, as reported by The Guardian. London Fashion Week, the twice-yearly showcase in the British capital, ran from 17 to 21 September in 2026.
The business backdrop has steadied. Mulberry sales rose 23% in the first quarter of 2026. Kane was appointed in early 2026 with the formal title Creative Director of Women’s Ready-to-Wear, clothes made in standard sizes rather than to order, described by the company as the next step in “Back to the Mulberry Spirit”. The collection shown on 20 September was set to arrive in stores and online after the show.
What makes this stand out is the double repair job. One designer rebuilding after losing his own house. One heritage maker trying to win back shoppers after a pricing miss. Both staked it on the same afternoon.
