Raeburn moves studios and announces “a new chapter”

British sustainable fashion brand Raeburn, founded by designer Christopher Raeburn, has relocated its studio from East London to a new permanent home in the Design District, Greenwich North.

The move is described as a “milestone moment” for the brand, and sees it joining more than 170 businesses located at the purpose-built hub of 16 buildings dedicated to the creative industries.

Commenting on the move, Raeburn said on LinkedIn: “Since founding Raeburn, my goal has always been to challenge the way fashion is made, transforming surplus materials into meaningful products and building a model around responsibility, collaboration and innovation. Our ethos of Remade, Reduce, and Recycle continues to guide everything we do, and finding the right environment to support that vision has always been essential.

“Design District feels like the perfect next chapter. As London’s first permanent, purpose-built hub for the creative industries, it brings together an inspiring mix of designers, makers, cultural organisations and tech innovators. The architecture, the energy and the community ethos all reflect the kind of future-facing creativity we believe in.”

While the new studio is “much smaller,” explains Raeburn in an update video on the brand’s website, the sustainable label will still be hosting studio tours to university students and the public, as well as craft workshops.

“For us, this move isn’t just about a new space, it’s about building an ecosystem that continues our work around craft, creativity, community and lastly collaboration,” added the brand.

Raeburn to go back to the "heart and soul" of where it began

The British designer, who has been a pioneer for pushing forward change for responsible fashion design, adds the move has also caused him to reevaluate the future direction of the brand towards focusing again on its remade ethos it became known for when it deconstructed and reworked surplus military materials, such as decommissioned parachutes, life rafts, and wool field jackets into functional, high-end garments.

Raeburn adds: “The company now is coming to our 18th year. We have, you know, evolved and continued in lots of different ways over these 18 years. It's meant going from those embryonic first collections remade from parachute, being fortunate enough to go through NewGen London Fashion Week, win British Fashion Awards, all of those amazing collaborations and partnerships, and I've enjoyed every minute, you know, and it hasn't been without its challenges.

“We're still completely independent as a company, and that growth at points has meant also more products. Of course, it's meant an enormous investment of time and resources. It's meant growing a team, then more recently, reducing a team as the company evolved. It's also meant a reality check, a thought on what I want Raeburn to be as we go into the future.

“I really want to go back to the heart and soul of what Raeburn has always done really well when we think about parachutes, when we think about air brake, when we think about silk maps, when we think about real innovation. Things that have experimented, provoked, disrupted, caused conversations. It's what I'm still so passionate about.

“The whole point of all this is to look to the next phase of Raeburn. To go back to what I think we’ve always done really well, focus on the remade aspect, and of course, innovation. It’s about still testing the barriers, and importantly, it’s still about working with others, because I've been so lucky to work with about 25, maybe even 30, of the world's biggest brands now, and of course, that's when you can continue to make a difference at a global scale.”