Christopher Kane autumn/winter 2013: top of the class Sophie de Rosee on why Scottish designer Christopher Kane's cerebrally inspired autumn/winter 2013 show was top of the class. Expectation levels were running high when Christopher Kane showed his autumn/winter collection. One month earlier the French luxury conglomerate Kering (formerly PPR, which owns Stella McCartney, Alexander McQueen, Gucci and Balenciaga) announced that it had acquired a 51 per cent stake in his label. Post-show, critics declared it his best collection. Kane had explored the world of science and taken the brain as his inspiration. An MRI scan of a healthy brain printed across tops and dresses is arguably the stand-out image of the season. Photo: Christopher Kane's autumn/winter 2013 show. 'I'm fascinated by science and new technologies. I always have been,' Kane, 31, said. I found the brain image in a medical pamphlet at the beginning of my research and it just stuck with me. From there I looked into MRI treatment and how the brain functions. It's a pretty special miracle.' The influence of science is everywhere: in the tubing lacework on the burgundy and grey bodices that mimics the structure of the brain; the velvet tabard dresses with seams that appear to be falling apart are held together by lacework reminiscent of the folds of the cerebral cortex; the luxe camouflage print could represent cerebral matter; and the blue and white dresses reference 'those glass slides you put under a microscope to see bacteria'. Kane's own favourites are the 'electric current embroideries' on his finale dresses in primary-coloured beading that twist and spiral in 3D as the model walks. 'Everyone said it felt like a retrospective but I don't think it looks like any other collection I've done,' he said. 'People tried to draw comparisons but I don't see them.' Kane knows what works (cashmere, the luxe T-shirt, the biker jacket to name a few) and builds on that each season. 'I'm all about pushing the boundaries.' So what to expect from the future? Despite the investment, the Kane purse strings will remain as tightly controlled as before, but the brand's first 'destination store' selling a huge range of product that everyone can buy into, from tourists to teenagers to creatives, will open in central London next July. We're in agreement with the designer, who says: 'It's very exciting.'