A canvas ceiling painted a perfect summer blue reflected the recent surge in fortunes for Britain’s biggest luxury brand, Burberry, at London Fashion Week. After a long spell of stormy weather, the maker of the world’s most iconic trench coats presented its show music-festival style, in an open-sided tent with a sawdust floor.
The last few years have been tough at Burberry. In May, the brand announced 1,700 job cuts from its 9,300 global workforce after annual pre-tax profits tumbled 117%. However, just hours before the show, Burberry rejoined the FTSE 100 after dropping out last year, suggesting a much-needed reset is beginning to click.
Designer Daniel Lee, who joined Burberry during the downturn, said he was inspired by Britain's summer obsession with music festivals. The soundtrack was Black Sabbath, and the clothes featured flower power daisies, skinny scarves, whipstitched leather jackets, tarot card prints, and tiny crochet dresses. Lee noted that “fashion has been oversized for so long, we wanted to challenge ourselves. A smaller silhouette feels newer now.”
Burberry’s bread and butter remains outerwear, with fringed leather jackets and waxed canvas parkas topping the festival-inspired dresses. A “Burberry forward” turnaround plan by chief executive Joshua Schulman, who joined from Coach, is slowing the downward sales curve. The brand is refocussing on more affordable pieces, with “scarf bars” in flagship stores proving successful.
About 170 of the planned job cuts will affect the Castleford trenchcoat factory, but Burberry has committed to continuing British production, with a renovation of the Victorian factory scheduled to begin next year.
