Craig Morrison’s spiky designs were almost lost to fashion history.…

The rediscovery of Craig’s archive, paired with newfound virality, propelled the family’s decision to hit the restart button on the brand. Last January, Hattie and Leia put a few bits up for sale online and watched as everything sold out in minutes. ​“We were not expecting that sort of reaction at all,” Hattie says. Now, Craig Morrison is undergoing a fully-fledged relaunch, with brand new pieces available to buy.

​“I just decided to do a crazy thing 30 years ago!” says Craig, for whom this renaissance has not just been a total surprise but also a beacon of hope. The designer has undergone a series of health issues over the last year, including brain and kidney cancer diagnoses.

Since shuttering the brand to raise his daughters, Craig has been working as an artist, curating and creating lighting pieces for international festivals. ​“To still have some sort of relevance and be able to make a little ripple is great,” he says. And the brand’s ethos, it seems, hasn’t strayed one bit: ​“This new collection is for those who are unafraid to be themselves.”

In fact it was largely inspired by Jamie Hewlett – the artist behind Gorillaz’ unmistakable, sharp, comic book-adjacent visuals. ​“Somebody put together a playlist while I was in hospital, and it had some Gorillaz songs on it,” Craig says. ​“I remember those amazing cartoons that [Jamie] did, and there was one character who had a spiky back.”

Using this as a starting point, the rebooted Craig Morrison line comprises of rubber pieces, ranging from a bag with moulded spikes that would feel right at home in a sci-fi flick to the trademark CM rucksack for those who missed out on the original. Ready-to-wear items are just as ingenious: there are handcrafted, rubber-rendered corsets up for grabs, and bomber jackets boasting smooth dome detailing.

​“The material, which has the thickness of a tire, is amazing to work with,” says Craig, who harvested the rubber from trees himself (!). ​“I wanted to use it for environmental reasons. The pieces are almost like living sculptures that you can look at, wear, and use as you want to.”

In keeping with the family spirit of things, he got his former head seamstress Heidi and her daughter involved, too. It was her job to juxtapose the toughness of the rubber with embroidered outlines, while working on corsetry detailing that harks back to the 14^th century. Magic. Although the brand is now helmed by his two daughters, Craig is as committed to his work as ever, with Leia and Hattie by his side – conjuring up some interesting memories of their childhood.

At one point, Craig’s bags became a hot commodity at Hattie and Leia’s primary school, handed out to friends as a party favour. ​“Dad would say, ​‘You can give her one for her birthday’, and suddenly, six-year-olds were bringing bright pink, spiky bags to school!” Hattie says.