86 DECEMBER 2017
“IT’S CRUCIAL
TO REMAIN
OPEN TO NEW
IDEAS ... AS THE
AUDIENCE IS
EVOLVING”A mouliné and hand-
crocheted look from the
Burberry September
2017 collection.left as it was. The collection showed Britishness as a multi-faceted, richly
composed identity with humanness the unifying theme.
The timing couldn’t be better. Today, repetition of heritage elements
alone don’t chime as authentically as they once did. A strong message is
crucial in a period when retail is slowing, something Burberry isn’t
immune to, although the house has always met challenges head on. Last
year it introduced ‘see-now-buy-now’ – which means all runway pieces
are available now in store globally and in Australia, where its largest
store recently opened in Melbourne – something they believe will work
after they move through expected teething problems, and they’ve
looked to engage millennials via live streaming of fashion shows and
projects with Apple.
This most current play was an honest and direct
approach to relevance in a mercurial fashion landscape.
The Burberry check appeared in this collection the most
prolifically that it has in almost 10 years, a fully fledged
return. Head-to-toe on trenches, shirts and smothering
raincoats, the pattern is being called ‘vintage’ and taps
fashion’s current ironic use of designer logos and a
nostalgia for 90s streetwear. It’s also Burberry-branded
self-deprecation. After the check was donned by football
hooligans and troublemakers in the late 90s and early
00s, the label strove to distance itself from the pattern.
In 2004 they discontinued the Burberry check cap – a favourite of the
aforementioned groups – and stripped the pattern from all but less than
five per cent of product. The BBC labelled the process ‘Burberry vs the
Chavs’. As the second outing, after a collaboration with cult Russian
designer Gosha Rubchinskiy earlier this year, it also reads as a display
of fondness and acceptance of the past.
By foregrounding a spirit or attitude, the label aims to reflect everyday
scenarios: a check bag kicked under the chair at a pub, a wet trench
bundled onto a coat hook after a downpour. Today, Burberry – a brand
steeped in the past – is finding relevance in the real world. “I think it’s
crucial to remain curious about the world, to remain open to new ideas,
and to make sure you’re part of things that are happening around you,”
says Bailey of the attitude that underpinned the collection.
“The audience is evolving at an incredible pace.”
As the show comes to an end, Delevingne alternately
taps her feet to the music, woops as model friend Adwoa
Aboah walks by and stands to applaud Bailey, taking his
bow on the balcony. Lining the walls and sitting on the
jumble of charmingly worn-in chairs, the crowd joins
her applauding all the women and men of Burberry who
passed us by, hopefully seeing more of ourselves than
ever before in the faces on the runway and a way forward
that could look good on everyone. ■VOGUE VIEWPOINT