Raeburn is one of three brothers and grew up in rural Kent. His older brother Graeme now works with him at RÆBURN as Performance Director and is equally passionate about the brand’s message:
Raeburn doesn't enter into collaborations with other brands lightly, wise to the fact that his personal brand equity pivots on his own authenticity. “My design philosophy is central to responsible design,” he says, “which runs alongside Timberland’s commitment to producing responsibly and their efforts to incorporate recycled and organic materials in their products over time, which inherently matches my own design sensibility.” And therein lies the core message of the collaboration’s most recent collection. In partnership with Timberland, Raeburn has deconstructed and remade signature Timberland garments, which will be on sale in November when the brand’s new store opens on Carnaby Street. Think reversible jackets in camo or two tone, made from 100% recycled polyester, or cool contemporary sweatshirts that are 100% organic cotton and of course a reworked iconic Brooklyn boot. These pieces are not only sustainable; they are genuinely stylish. But to what extent is Timberland willing to allow Raeburn to challenge and disrupt its business practices? “Well the first thing to say is that Timberland of course has incredible scale and talented team members around the globe, so our design process tends to be more complex,” he admits. “We’ve been working hard at Timberland to really put craft and creativity into the hands of our designers – it’s an exciting moment as we really evolve Timberland to become a leader in responsible design.”
After accumulating so much on his bulging CV, what is left for Christopher Raeburn to achieve? Does his track record of being a pioneer pile on the pressure? “On a personal level I’ve been incredibly inspired by programmes like ‘Blue Planet II’ and ‘War on Plastic’ and I’m looking forward to continuing to challenge myself to make impactful changes,” he admits. “We’re living through an interesting time of great disruption and I’m confident we’re all waking up to our impacts, so I’m hopeful for a future where we have a more positive effect on the earth.” No mean feat – but if anyone can make it happen, Raeburn can.
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