Navy, military-inspired overcoats with red piping, sequinned mini dresses and biker boots reigned supreme as Burberry showcased its wares in a collection that marks a big turning point for the iconic label. From now on, it will be possible to buy all the clothes as soon as they have been shown on the catwalk.
Regularly touted as one of the hottest tickets of the season, the collection drew a huge slew of A-listers, including Naomi Campbell, Suki Waterhouse, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and celebrity photographer Mario Testino – all of whom were in full view on the front row at the show, held in Kensington Gardens.
The notoriously media-shy CEO of Burberry, Christopher Bailey, has called his latest line A Patchwork. I wanted the collection to be intimate, I wanted it to be detailed. Erm, I called it a patchwork because its a patchwork of everything that I love and thats from a little bit of glam rock, theres military from all of our history and our archives, lots of little musical influences.
Artistic references I love. Bloomsbury, I love Hockney, so theyre all kinds of, the Mitford sisters, its kind of a blend of all those different worlds. And these shows, they are quite big shows because its quite a big room but also we stream it live but I wanted the whole thing to feel like its a closed little secret, he said.
In recognition of its move to the catwalk-to-consumer approach, come September, the brands next London Fashion Week collection will be available to buy immediately. But Bailey admits the move may not be for everyone.
I think everybody has to do what feels right for them and there is not one rule that fits everything. I definitely think we all have to question if we are Instagramming, live-streaming and showing the collections – we cant expect a customer and a consumer to tie in with a traditional kind of calendar, he said.
Singer-songwriter Jake Bugg performed at the show which had a trailer on YouTube, and was simultaneously live-streamed on the Burberry App and on the brands website.
