Designer Profile: Christopher Shannon

A rising star on the UK menswear scene, Christopher Shannon talked to MARIAN BUCKLEY about his forthcoming London Fashion Week debut and plans for his label.

Liverpool-born Christopher Shannon will make his London Fashion Week debut in September 2008 as part of Fashion East and Topman's MAN showcase. Having graduated from Central Saint Martin's with an MA in menswear earlier this year, his rapid rise to recognition is based on a very solid foundation which includes a Foundation degree, working with Kim Jones and Richard Nicoll and co-designing with the legendary Judy Blame.

After undertaking a BA at Central Saint Martin's, Christopher cut his teeth on a variety of design jobs before hooking up with Kylie Minogue's right-hand man, William Baker which involved going on worldwide tours with Ms Minogue. "I really enjoyed working with Stevie Stewart from Bodymap, I wasn't really aware of Bodymap before - of course that whole scene has been raped to death now". Encountering Judy Blame has been one of the most significant events of Christopher's career to date. "I was more nervous about meeting Judy than I was Kylie," he explains. "When I was growing up Judy was my hero, I remember seeing his work in the first copy of The Face I bought when I was about 11. I remember loving the shoots which he styled - Massive Attack, Shakespeare's Sister, Bjork."

After collaborating together for a Comme des Garcon project, Judy and Christopher joined forces to create T-shirts and accessories which were showcased at London's B Store boutique. "We wanted to do prints and we thought we'd keep it fairly small but it exploded in Japan and we had orders in the thousands which we just weren't set-up to be able to fulfill. It's a shame because it was an absolute money-spinner. Judy is brilliant- he's also a dragon and a nightmare! I really admire him and his work."

After a period of looking for work and not finding anything to inspire him, Christopher decided to apply for a scholarship to do his MA. "I got it against all odds really," he explains. "Louise Wilson and I argued and rowed but I was lucky enough to get awarded the main scholarship so that I could do the course." His graduate collection featured 12 outfits of which 8 were shown on the catwalk. "Someone described me recently as a sportswear tailor - but I genuinely am not interested in tailoring. It's an approach to sportswear. My aesthetic comes from taking things that I like that are garish and making them slick. I like giving pieces a high quality finish. It's not about referencing an era, it's about working with a garment and seeing it from a design point of view."

For his LFW debut in September Christopher is collaborating with two British sportswear brands but wants to keep all the details under wraps. "I hope I can pull it off! The idea is to have two collaborations on the catwalk and then get these into stores. " The designer is unapologetic about his focus on commerciality. "Nothing validates as much as sales," he asserts. "I make clothes because I want people to buy them and the more I can sell for these people [the brands he is collaborating with] the more I can become indispensible."

www.christophershannon.co.uk