His spring collection is hanging on a rail that runs round the room. There are T-shirts and trousers and jackets, but what stands out are the knits - soft cardigans and dresses and tops, all in delicious and delicate sugared-almond shades of lilac, pink, green, yellow and blue "Blue is a very English colour," says Kidman. "It suits English skin tones." And he himself is in blue from head to foot; blue jeans, blue shirt, blue jacket "I like the English tradition," he says. "People who are successful tend to give an interpretation of their culture - Dolce e Gabbana, for example, or Ralph Lauren.
I think it's wrong to try to do Italian peasant women if you haven't got that kind of background." Certainly, it's hard to imagine sturdy, earthy, Italian peasant women in his spring collection, the one currently on display. The soft, little, short-sleeved jumpers, beautifully hand-decorated with embroidered flowers, the pastel, scoop-necked, cotton sweaters, the pretty floral-print dresses, are all quintessentially British. Although Kidman designs a full range for men and women, he is currently best known for his knitwear; something he claims to be slightly aggrieved about "I don't want to become the knitwear king," he says "I don't ever wear knitwear. I like the technique of it - creating a garment completely from scratch, starting with the yarn. But I have been fighting slightly against the knitwear title."It seems, however, that knitwear might be his destiny. "I do respect people who do something incredibly well, and when you're as small as I am, you can't offer a collection on the scale of Calvin Klein," he admits.
"So, in fact, there will be more in the next collection - I am going to make knitwear nobody else can do I actually like very strong tailoring. Up to now my designs have been much more masculine, but this is a spring collection and I felt it should be very sweet and pretty. It scared me when I got it up on the rail - it needs to be juxtaposed with something harder, like a denim jacket, that's how I would see it being worn."Quite apart from not wanting to be the knitwear king, originally he never wanted to work in fashion at all. "When I went to Brighton I wanted to do graphics - I wanted to be a bookbinder I still do love books. But I decided to change to fashion when I saw a friend using a knitting machine - I couldn't believe it, the possibilities of this mechanical thing that could turn out a length of knitting." So, for his BA, he ended up specialising in knitwear; then he went on to St Martins to study for his MA After his degree show in 1985, he was snapped up by Joseph. "It was like a dream - I couldn't believe it," says Kidman, now 38. He spent the next nine years working there, as design director for Joseph Tricot, the designer's knitwear and jersey division.And then he decided, just like that, that it was time to move on.