How did you learn to design shoes? In my early 20s I worked in interior design, which I loved, but I couldn’t get rid of this nagging shoe thing in the back of my mind. I’d always loved shoes, and was fascinated by their design, texture and materiality.
CRANE BROTHERS - Autumn/ Winter 2017 sees a return to English heritage and the dressing style on which Crane Brothers was founded.
Tell us about your background and your brand...
My mother, Angela Wickstead, was a made-to-measure fashion designer, so it was always something that was part of my life. I grew up in New Zealand but when I was 14, we moved to Milan, which was the fashion hub of the world. From there, I went on to study fashion design and marketing at Central Saint Martins, and gained industry experience work- ing at Proenza Schouler, Narciso Rodriguez, and American Vogue. After I graduated, I launched my brand as a made-to-measure atelier and opened my first store in Belgravia. By creating a strong clientele base, I was able to develop the brand further and introduced ready-to-wear at London Fashion Week in 2012.
Crane Brothers is an iconic brand. Can you tell us about your history?
I grew up with the punk, New Romantic movement, looking at the back of a record or an old copy of The Face and going, how do I get that look? It didn’t exist here, so I grew up finding things in op shops and remodelling them. I was a menswear buyer at Zambesi for five years, which introduced me to luxury brands like Helmut Lang, Martin Margiela and Dries Van Noten, who were doing high fashion, but everything came from tailoring. I became fixated on that craft and process.
