Sit up lads and take notice. Having just won the 2019 National Designer Award, and offering relaxed menswear staples that effortlessly blend the sartorial with casual elegance, Christian Kimber is a designer to watch. Editor-in-chief Norman Tan sits down with the British-born designer to discuss his path into menswear, his brand’s signature style and being tapped by Lane Crawford in Hong Kong.
There’s something undeniably likable about Christian Kimber. For someone who has just won the 2019 National Designer Award presented during Virgin Australia Melbourne Fashion Festival (VAMFF)—past winners of this prestigious award include Toni Maticevski, Strateas Carlucci and Dion Lee—he is refreshingly grounded. The trophy sits proudly on the back shelf of his handsome Fitzroy store, its golden curved silhouette complementing Kimber’s offering of Italian-made shoes and folded long-sleeve polos, but he doesn’t refer to it during my visit. Not even once. Rather, as I nosy through his latest menswear offering, mentally checking items into my shopping cart—a drawstring field jacket, that broken-in cotton chore jacket, a garment-dyed denim shirt with a floral under-print—he is busy fixing me a drink and apologising for the state of the store.
“Sorry for the mess,” Kimber complains. “We just had our fall/ winter presentation this morning, as you know, and we’re still trying to get the store back in order.” I have no idea what he is talking about; the store is immaculate but for a box in the corner. “Thanks for coming by the way,” he continues. “Did you enjoy the presentation? It’s small, but that’s all we can afford to do now.” It was lovely, I assure him. “Sorry I didn’t get a chance to really chat to you earlier,” Kimber adds. There he goes again, another deferential apology. “But I’m glad we can sit down now and have a chat.” He’s honest and endearing. Charming, but almost anxiously so.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة May 2019 من Esquire Singapore.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة May 2019 من Esquire Singapore.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
THE MILD HANGOVER
Hangovers get a bad rap. We know. If you’ve gotten this far in the magazine, you’ve surely divined that we’re mildly hungover most of the time.
AN ELECTRIC FUTURE
Polestar, the minimalist electric Swedish car brand, turns the voltage up on its competition.
LET'S GET REAL (ESTATE): LUXURIOUS LONDON
Royalty, shopping, the best tea and scones the world has to offer, and a lifestyle worthy of what you're working for. Here's why London is ripe for your next investment
NEXT UP....ZARAN VACHHA
As Co-founder of the events and talent agency Collective Minds and Managing Director of the Mandala Masters, Zaran Vachha is definitely not new to the culture scene, but he's certainly shaping what comes next.
WHAT I'VE LEARNED...
I DON’T WEAR SOCKS except in January.
The Body Is a Language
A bad handshake is such a turnoff; we feel irked when someone rolls their eyes at us; we can't stop pacing when we're nervous-ever wondered how certain body language has the power to change how we feel instantly? We explore why.
EYE OF THE TIGER
Hailing from Singapore, Japan and Brazil respectively, Evolve Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) athletes Darren Goh, Hiroki Akimoto and Alex Silva are proof that the ring demands as much from mind as it does from matter.
THE ADONIS COMPLEX
With the rise of superhero culture making a return and bringing with it the celebration of the classically ‘masculine’ body type, can men really overcome the pressure to conform when culture keeps getting in the way?
FUNNY BUT TRUE
A comedian, an iconic Singaporean, and now a man much evolved. After overcoming two years of pandemic limbo, unlocking career milestones one after another and undergoing a life-defining physical transformation, Rishi Budhrani is ready to emerge into the world renewed-and anew.
LIKE NO OTHER
With its horological triumphs, Hermès has truly come into its own as a watchmaking maison. In this exclusive interview with Esquire Singapore, CEO of Hermès Horloger, Laurent Dordet sheds some light on his timepieces' rising stardom and the importance of being different.