For over 5 years, London-born fashion designer, Mr. Christian Kimber has made Australia his home and headquarters for his namesake brand. Known for his understated luxury footwear, Christian has built his reputation and business on producing quality products worn by discerning gents all over the world.

I caught up with him on a chilly mid-autumn day at his flagship store in Melbourne where we discuss his journey; from his early beginnings, collaborations, the opening of his first flagship store: along with the concept behind his highly-anticipated menswear collection that is set to release later this year. 

Christian has a very clear idea of what he wants to do and how we wants to do it. Growing up in London, he had a fascination for shoes and menswear from as far back as he can recall. He lived away from his father from a young age, but fondly recalls memories from seeing and observing how he’d put his looks together – ‘I remember seeing him, and particularly how he dressed and looked. He is someone who takes a lot of pride in his cashmere coats and suits. That influenced me as a kid and so fashion was more of a natural path for me to take’.

His mother ran a small bed and breakfast which he cites as one of the reasons he presents the stores and positions the service in the way that does so well. ‘My vision of retail is anti-retail. My mother ran a small bed and breakfast. So what I wanted to do was bring a lot of the hospitality that I grew up with into retail. I think that most men hate retail as well. I’ve never been to many stores and left feeling special’.

While most kids would save up for the latest video games and gadgets, by the age of 16, Kimber had already bought his first pair of Gucci loafers from a vintage thrift store. ‘I always had a passion for shoes growing up. I started off liking the high-end stuff, but over time, it became more about the design and craft of shoemaking’ says Kimber.

He kept himself extremely busy during his senior years of education; studying business by day and fashion by night. Christian also completed a diverse series of internships that included buying, marketing, and PR. Soon after finishing his studies, he landed a role in a busy sales and marketing department for a shoemaker on Saville Row. It was here that he learned the ins-and-outs of the business. He recalls a vision he had for his future business, even back then – ‘I had a concept for attainable luxury, beautiful things at more affordable prices. At the time, there was plenty of cheap stuff and luxury too, but nothing in between’.

His job on Saville Row was a great starting point for Christian. However, after working for a few years he felt he had learned everything he could from the role, and due to visa limitations, his girlfriend needed to return home to Australia. Christian credits his girlfriend highly – ‘I was always sketching shoes and clothes, it was my girlfriend who gave me the courage and belief to start the business’.

So, decision made. He was to move to Melbourne to take some time-off and see where things would lead him. Little did he realise then, that this trip would turn into something much more permanent, leading him towards a long list of accomplishments – the first of which, being the successful launch of his label.

After spending a year looking for manufacturers, Christian found one in Spain and began production for his first collection. This comprised of an Oxford and a Loafer which sold reasonably well. But there was something which just didn’t sit quite right, Kimber states – ‘I didn’t know who I was or what I really wanted to do. My first collection featured shoes that were more formal. However, I was a kid who grew up in a seaside town, going out skateboarding and surfing. I wasn’t wearing three-piece suits, so by designing and selling formal shoes, I wasn’t being true to myself and found myself in a ‘who do I want to be’ situation’.

Two additional factors were in play – the manufacturer went out of business and funds were scarce. These elements combined resulted in Christian hitting the pause button. He re-evaluated where he was at, what he was doing, and took a step back to figure out exactly which direction to go.

Time-out taken, strategy re-thought. He decided to move away from offering just formal style shoes and moved towards offering casual footwear as well. With his passion reignited, and a new-found energised feeling, Christian went on a journey to create the perfect sneaker – taking inspiration from his travels to Italy, France, Hong Kong and Australia. ‘I made a decision to focus more on casualwear. To me, it’s more of a detailed way of dressing. Anyone can throw on a nice suit with a shirt and tie, but casual wear to me shows your personality. It shows who you are. Coming from London which was where I had developed a formal style, it has softened during my time in Australia. Naturally, I wanted to be a lot more casual’.

You can tell from the way Christian styles himself, he clearly carries a great sense of confidence and is someone who dresses for comfort without compromising on style. But it’s not all about designing great products. Right now, he is busy refurbishing the back of the showroom. Once done at the front, at around 6 pm, Christian will then do 2-3 hours of painting, some days working through until the early hours of the morning. He knows how to relax too say Christian – ‘When I get home I have dinner with my girlfriend and maybe watch a bit of Seinfeld. On weekends I’ll go out for a surf’.

Christian’s label has already made its way into luxury stores such as Barneys and Bloomingdales in the United States, Harrods in Australia and a number of stockists in Europe and Asia. With all the success Kimber has experienced thus far, he notes the importance of being patient as a key attribute to have when growing a business. When it comes to making the perfect shoe, it can take on average up to 5 months to go from initial sketch to its final product. ‘When I first started, I was trying to fly and rush into things. However, now I try to be more methodical with my work, which I think creates a better product. Also, if you develop slowly and organically, people can be on an emotional journey with you, and that makes everything you do a lot more meaningful’.

When asked about how much time is spent designing, it actually plays a smaller role in the overall process. ‘Design is a small part of what I do because I can design something quite quickly. If I want to design a jacket, I can do it in half a day’. ‘Everything we do, we make from scratch. I spend a lot more time prototyping with factories, working with them to make new designs. I’ve been spending a lot of time making clothing at the moment. I can tell them what I want and what fabrics I want, but then it’s getting prototypes back and forth and making changes’.

While most traditional businesses start with bricks and mortar, then expand into online, Kimber’s business was born from social media. He sees his company as a service business rather than just being purely a retail store. ‘It’s always weird when I say: We’re a service business that sells things. I don’t see this place as a shop, I see it as a place where we try to make people feel special, and make them feel like family’. Upon first glance, you can easily mistake his showroom for a stylistic living room, with comfy seats, sartorial magazines, and fashionable artworks across the walls. It’s definitely one of the most chilled-out shopping experiences you’ll come across in Melbourne.

When he spoke about his brand, you get a real sense of just how much passion he has for what he does and what he is trying to achieve. ‘If you buy a Tom Ford tie, for example, you’re buying into a certain feeling, or if you’re buying a Ralph Lauren polo, you’re buying into a look. What I’ve created so far is products, and I want to create that feeling of what we do so people understand it more. Whenever a customer gets anything from us or even looks at what we do, they understand what they’re looking at, they understand what it’s about. This year is all about developing that’.

Travel and art have also played a significant role in Christian’s design work thus far. This continues with his new menswear line set to release later in the year. ‘The biggest focus for me this year is launching the new clothing collection, as well as new shoes,’ says Christian. ‘I was inspired by Pablo Picasso’s work and the way that he dressed. So, it got me onto this notion of the travelling artist and having an elegant yet rugged look at the same time’.

If there is one thing I’ve learnt from spending time with Christian, it’s that he is a man who pays an enormous amount of attention to detail, putting thought and care into everything that he does. Whether he’s designing a new collection, making aesthetic improvements to his shop, or collaborating with new partners, you can expect only the highest quality work from Kimber. ‘Everything I do is from passion’, says Kimber. ‘It’s not about selling fashion or trends. It’s about creating something meaningful that makes people feel good and in an environment where they feel comfortable. That’s what motivates me everything single day’.

Learn more about Christian Kimber and shop his collections at christiankimber.com.

Interview & Photography: Eric Hercog