Harriet Timmins reviews Riccardo Tisci’s first collection for the brand at London Fashion Week.

Since his appointment as Chief Creative Director of Burberry in March this year, Riccardo Tisci has already thrown some curve balls at the brand’s historical way of doing things. From the unveiling of the new monogram logo, which has been seen splashed all over the front of Burberry’s stores, to the announcement of a fur-free future, his appointment has truly seen a turning point for the label.

As part of a five-year responsibility agenda, Burberry announced last month that they will no longer be producing anything with real fur, as well as phasing out existing fur in previous collections. In the same agenda, the brand announced on their website that they are going to end the practice of destroying unsaleable products in order to combat the amount of waste they produce. This is a massive step forward in the fashion world, since the industry already contributes a huge amount to landfill sites and holds the position as the second largest polluter in the world, after the oil industry.

Tisci’s first collection debuted at London Fashion Week on the 17th September 2018, followed 30 minutes later by a 24-hour limited edition product drop of the collection on Instagram. The collection had something for everyone; from all beige looks, to sleek feminine silhouettes, to a punk streetwear aesthetic. Particular favourites of mine were the leopard print trousers featured in the menswear collection, and the faux deerskin printed trench coat, lined with the traditional Burberry check. This is the perfect example of how Tisci has revived the brand but also stuck to its classic roots with this collection.

The 24-hour drop is also a new direction for the brand, not only because of its heavy reliance on social media – a first in the brand’s history – but also the buzz it has created around the collection. The idea is a good one, but in practice, it feels like it could be a way of cutting off a large portion of a potentially loyal group of Burberry followers. To me, a move like this one takes away the enjoyment of lusting after pieces and taking in a collection for all of its glory. For a brand that has historically been associated with British culture, bending the boundaries with which it reaches out to its customers could be a risky move for Burberry.

by Harriet Timmins

Image: vogue.com