Key facts
- Burberry collaborated with textile designer Celia Birtwell for its London Fashion Week closing show.
- The collection features Birtwell's prints, including hand-painted versions of Burberry's check and doodle-inspired faces.
- Burberry CEO Joshua Schulman's strategy focuses on offering 'value for money in a luxury context'.
- The brand reported its first revenue growth in three years, with retail sales up 5% year-on-year in the second quarter.
- Burberry is staging a display at the V&A museum titled 'The Burberry Trench: Crafting an Icon'.
Burberry showcased a unique collaboration with renowned textile designer Celia Birtwell to close London Fashion Week. Designer Daniel Lee, a long-time admirer of Birtwell's work, met with the artist earlier this spring, leading to the creation of a one-off collection that merges Birtwell's distinctive prints with Burberry's iconic check.
Birtwell, known for her vibrant prints that defined bohemian 1960s London and her association with artist David Hockney, created hand-painted versions of Burberry's check, which Lee described as making the pattern "more human." Another key print for the season is a doodle of smiley faces from Birtwell's archive, previously unproduced. The show itself, held at Chelsea School of Art, featured soft silhouettes and an eclectic guest list, including Fiona Shaw and Central Cee.
The collaboration comes as Burberry, under CEO Joshua Schulman and designer Daniel Lee, is experiencing a turnaround. The brand reported its first revenue growth in three years, with a 5% year-on-year increase in retail sales for the second quarter. Schulman's strategy involves offering "value for money in a luxury context," moving away from excessively high price points. Lee has been credited with infusing Burberry's heritage with a youthful, Gen Z appeal.
Burberry's focus on outerwear, a category where it holds significant heritage, has been a successful element of its recovery. The collection included trench coats in silk taffeta with updated hemlines and collars. To further promote its message, Burberry is also hosting a display at the V&A museum titled 'The Burberry Trench: Crafting an Icon,' featuring historical and contemporary trench coats.