For its 170th anniversary, Burberry entrusted Celia Birtwell and Daniel Lee with the task of reinventing its codes in an instinctive, tactile and resolutely British collection.

To celebrate its 170th anniversary, <a href="https://www.lofficiel.com/industry-trends/londres-muse-eternelle-de-burberry-pour-lhiver-2026" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Burberry</a> has chosen not to look back at its history. To close London Fashion Week, Daniel Lee envisioned instead an encounter: that of the house with Celia Birtwell , a major figure in British textiles whose designs shaped the imagination of the 1960s and 70s. &quot;A return to basics,&quot; summarizes the Chief Creative Officer: something instinctive, felt, and authentic. A collection that favors emotion over demonstration and the hand&#39;s touch over industrial perfection. Birtwell brings an almost audacious freedom to the <a href="https://www.lofficiel.com/industry-trends/burberry-reprend-le-chemin-de-la-ville" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Burberry</a> universe. His vision transforms the famous House Check into gingham, then into simple stripes; flowers, fragmented faces, and freehand-drawn motifs disrupt established codes. The prints seem to have spontaneously assembled themselves, like a collage, with off-center angles and unexpected combinations. Mimosa, lavender, and blueberry are layered over the checks, while embroidery, sequins, tubular beads, and tassels give the surfaces an almost tactile depth. A joyful, slightly irregular aesthetic, where strangeness counts as much as beauty. The fabric then becomes the true manifesto of the collection. Far from the expected rigidity of a luxury wardrobe, silk and cotton are washed, softened, and dyed after garment construction to give the pieces a patina of having already been cherished. Silk taffeta, in particular, adorns trench coats, coats, and rainwear silhouettes, while faille and taffeta create parachute-like volumes, deconstructed collars, and lightweight capes. Even utilitarian details—belts, shoulder pads, cargo pockets—become motifs thanks to trompe-l&#39;œil and embroidery. &quot;Nothing is over-pressed or immaculate,&quot; explains Lee: imperfection becomes a way of bringing life to the garment.

This philosophy also permeates the silhouettes. For women, volumes play on the contrast between mini and maxi, between cropped trench coats and flowing car coats, between nappa leather shorts and embroidered silk dresses. The lines remain simple to let the techniques speak for themselves. For men, the look is younger, more relaxed, as if a few pieces had been borrowed from a father&#39;s or grandfather&#39;s wardrobe: boxy blazers in raffia silk, Harrington jackets in washed cotton, cropped trousers, sheer military shirts, and workwear pieces in denim or canvas. A wardrobe constructed with the nonchalance of a T-shirt, whose flatter, more boxy shape becomes a unifying element. Accessories extend this dialogue between heritage and craftsmanship. The Derby, inspired by the equestrian world, is adorned with sequined stripes and hand-finished flowers; the Sloane features braided leather; the Trench bag reinterprets the raincoat belt. On the feet, Kent boots are washed and patinated, while Somersets, mules, and sandals are covered with woven flowers, embroidered stripes, or leather discs. Even the most sophisticated silhouettes retain this sense of wear, as if they already had a story to tell.

At Chelsea College of Arts, the set design extends this desire to let the human element breathe. A white, almost minimalist space, wooden furniture arranged without rigidity, and a soundtrack dedicated to four decades of David Bowie create an atmosphere that is both experimental and welcoming. In the casting, too, Daniel Lee champions individuality rather than superficial uniformity . Among the guests and participants are <a href="https://www.lofficiel.com/pop-culture/jonathan-bailey-les-meilleurs-films-et-series-de-l-acteur-a-voir-apres-wicked" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jonathan Bailey</a> , Bright, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Jason Statham, and Central Cee, whose presence brings that raw, more authentic London feel that Lee seeks to preserve. Burberry &#39;s Spring/Summer 2027 show is thus built on a subtle balance: the utilitarian and the couture, the archive and experimentation, mastery and the unexpected. For its 170th anniversary, the house doesn&#39;t freeze its signatures; it lets them live, wrinkle, and transform under the influence of a new perspective. With Celia Birtwell, Daniel Lee finds a way to celebrate British heritage that relies less on nostalgia than on freedom : the freedom to wear a garment, to inhabit it, and, above all, to give it the time to become one&#39;s own.

At Burberry, Luxury Finds Its Human Touch

Recommended posts for you

Fashion

At Prada, the Skirt Becomes a Canvas for Creativity

Fashion