Live Connected: RBURN in conversation with David Hellqvist

Published: Sept. 25, 2020, 1:48 a.m.

Brothers in arms. Christopher Raeburn made his name reworking military surplus \u2013 and his label\u2019s acclaimed innovation kicked up a gear when Graeme came aboard. The duo talk to David Hellqvist of Document Studios about joint forces, unique strengths, and craft-driven luxury.

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Closed-loop processes, agility, efficiency: the way the Raeburns describe production at their East London \u201clab\u201d might sound more at home in an aerospace firm than a fashion atelier. From his early days at the Royal College of Art, Christopher\u2019s R\xc6MADE aesthetic has been a feat of engineering. It takes vision to reimagine parachute nylon or raft canvas as outerwear \u2013 but problem-solving ingenuity to bring it from sketch to street. Drafting in Graeme\u2019s skillset in 2018 just made sense. An RCA grad himself, Graeme started out in performance sportswear at Rapha. While Christopher keeps the creative reins, Graeme focuses on optimising production. They\u2019re reprising childhood roles, they realise, and the balance is working well.

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R\xc6BURN is chasing the virtuous circle of a fully sustainable fashion future - without ever short-changing their creative vision or quality control. It\u2019s an adventure that rewards a restless drive to learn and grow. Or, as Christopher puts it: \u201chard work but good work\u201d.