ABOUT

BRAND FABRIC

The brand you choose to represent should also represent you.

What you wear—from the everyday to life’s most important occasions—becomes part of the thread that weaves together the fabric of your life. Clothing is a powerful form of self-expression. It can inspire confidence, communicate identity, and shape how you experience the world.

 

Our mission is to create beautiful clothing that helps you write your own story—in style.

 

Christopher Bates designs for individuals who are in their prime, regardless of age, background, gender, or identity. They live fully, dress instinctively, and have the confidence to stand apart. They are world travellers, mavericks, innovators, lovers, and leaders, united by a shared zest for life.

 

Inspired by exceptional fabrics and the specialist Italian artisans and manufacturers he works with, Christopher Bates’ commitment to quality, fit, and authenticity is absolute. This dedication, combined with his refined approach to timeless design, precise tailoring, clever details, and confident use of colour, defines the brand’s distinctive modern point of view.

 

“Every design is created to become a wardrobe staple or a go-to statement piece—something you will wear proudly for years.”

 

A rarity in fashion, the designer and the brand are genuinely united. Christopher Bates is the living expression of the brand, embodying its values through the way he designs, lives, and presents himself to the world.

 

He is dedicated to making you look your best—and feel your best.


This is the fabric of our brand.


THE DESIGNER

Originally from Vancouver, Canada, Christopher Bates moved to Milan in 2006 to study fashion design at Istituto Marangoni. Working under his own name, Bates has built a distinctive international brand defined by refined design, Italian craftsmanship, and a confident, contemporary point of view.


In 2014, he established his first design studio in Milan and has designed and produced his collections in Italy continuously since then. Today, Milan is the creative and cultural centre of the Christopher Bates brand, while Made in Italy represents its commitment to provenance, craftsmanship, quality, and product excellence.


Bates approaches design with curiosity, versatility, and an obsessive attention to detail. He is particularly known for incorporating clever and unexpected elements into otherwise clean, refined designs. His inspirations range from anatomy, architecture, and geometry to travel, automotive design, the culinary arts, film, and other creative disciplines. His ultimate style icon is Sean Connery as James Bond: timeless, sophisticated, confident, and effortlessly masculine.

The brand is currently represented by select retail partners across Canada and the United States, including Gotstyle, The 101 Story, Toronto Designer’s Market, VOYO Boutique, Quorum Fashion, Boutique Le Costumier Et Nex, and Agriculture Custom Clothier’s. The officially licensed TOP GUN × Christopher Bates collection is also carried by the Paramount Pictures Studio Store in Los Angeles and the Palm Springs Air Museum.


In 2026, Bates expanded the brand into fragrance with the launch of Poseidon for men and Aphrodite for women, limited-edition extrait de parfum compositions made in Milan. He also developed the brand’s first men’s and women’s underwear capsule, extending the signature Kiss print into a new category.


In August 2026, Christopher Bates launched an ultra-luxury, limited-edition Made in Italy collaboration with Original Luxury. The capsule features leather-trimmed winter coats, leather bomber jackets, leather travel bags, and silk scarves, bringing together Christopher Bates’ creative direction and specialist Italian craftsmanship. All proceeds from the collection are being donated to SickKids Foundation. The collaboration represents the brand’s continued expansion through distinctive products and carefully selected cultural and commercial partnerships.

SELECTED AWARDS AND RECOGNITION

  • Canadian Menswear Designer of the Year, Canadian Arts & Fashion Awards — 2019
  • Visionary Award, Fashion Group International — 2018
  • Notable Award Nominee for Fashion in Canada, Notable — 2014 and 2015
  • Canada’s Top 100 Most Influential People, Alberta Youth Congress — 2014
  • Mercedes-Benz Start Up Program Finalist, Toronto Fashion Week — 2012
  • Top Menswear Designers in Canada, SHARP Magazine — 2009

Bates also designed Air Canada’s current uniform program. Unveiled internationally in spring 2018, the collection received several major industry honours, including two NAUMD Image of the Year Awards—Best of the Best and Transportation: People—as well as Best Design for Corporate Clothing at the Professional Clothing Awards in London. Air Canada was the first North American company to receive an award from the organization.

In 2022, Bates launched TOP GUN × Christopher Bates, an officially licensed collaboration with Paramount Consumer Products. Inspired by the original film, the collection offered a contemporary and nostalgic interpretation of its iconic style through signature bomber jackets, sweatshirts, T-shirts, volleyball tank tops, and aviator sunglasses.

 

Following the success of the collaboration, Bates entered into a second licensing agreement with Paramount to create The Godfather × Christopher Bates, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the original film.

 

His work has been featured in leading international publications including L’Uomo Vogue Italia, Women’s Wear Daily, Forbes, GQ Brazil, Monocle, ELLE, FASHION, SCHÖN!, HELLO!, HuffPost, Esquire China, and Flare.


SELECTED CLIENTELE

Bates has dressed prominent figures from the worlds of film, television, music, sport, and entertainment, including actors and television personalities Michael Shannon, Don Cheadle, Eugene Levy, Jay Baruchel, John Boyega, Wilson Cruz, Sangita Patel, and Ron MacLean; Formula 1 drivers Charles Leclerc and George Russell; musicians Shawn Mendes, Howie D of the Backstreet Boys, Ria Mae, and Tyler Shaw; athletes José Bautista, DeMarre Carroll, and Tosaint Ricketts; film producers Gary Michael Walters and Andrea Iervolino; and bands Marianas Trench and Walk Off the Earth.