Kane was born as the youngest of five children in Newarthill, near Motherwell, North Lanarkshire, to an engineer and draughtsman and housewife mother.[2]
While still in college, Kane worked for fellow designers Russell Sage and Giles Deacon [2] and attracted the attention of Donatella Versace by winning the Lancôme Colour Award in 2005.[3]
Kane subsequently won the Harrods Design Award for his MA Graduate collection, consisting of £1,500 and a showpiece window in Harrods from 24 February to 8 March 2006. The collection consisted of stretch-lace dresses decorated with brass rings. He was immediately hired by Versace to work on the label's Atelier couture collection as well as consulting on shoes and accessories.[4] He graduated from Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in 2006.[5]
In December 2006, Kane was photographed by David Bailey for British Vogue alongside Antony Price, whose 1980s bombshell evening dresses and curvaceous feminine styles foreshadowed Kane's bandage-tight tailoring.
In August 2014, Kane was one of 200 public figures who were signatories to a letter to The Guardian opposing Scottish independence in the run-up to September's referendum on that issue.[6]