Burberry’s spring 2024 was merely creative director Daniel Lee’s second collection for the house and yet, the short tenure under his helm has demonstrated a clear creative trajectory. Lee understands the importance of paying homage to the house’s roots as a British label and has masterfully referenced this heritage with a twist of modernity through well-crafted garments and desire-inducing imagery. His first campaign for fall 2023 made waves in the most unexpected of ways by placing stars such as Shygirl and Kano at the forefront. From the start, it has been obvious that his vision of a Burberry man and woman is a significant change from his predecessors. He wanted to inject a personality-driven brand of cool to Burberry’s legacy and spring 2024 is a continuation of that perspective.
Set at Highbury Fields, the showing of the collection was down-to-earth and intimate. There was no opulent set-up. Instead, perched right outside the venue was an English food van that provided staples such as Guinness bread and cups of tea. The venue was homely and reminiscent of a picnic fair with park benches, quilted green horse blankets and camping bottles placed across the grassy meadows. Befitting of the setting, the collection was full of essential garments for the outdoors in Burberry’s newly interpreted codes.
A generous palette of varied colours, namely sherbet, cameo, ivy, rhubarb, khaki, trench, knight blue, black and white, were utilised in the collection. Swan and duck prints were also seen throughout as a homage to the fauna in English parks. Alongside the classic trench and car coats, there were also cosy and outdoor-ready duffle coats, blanket capes, quilts, parkas, field, aviator and bomber jackets. The more obvious references to British tradition and culture came in the form of kilts, tracksuits and rugby jerseys, refined and reimagined for the fashionable youth.
Psychedelic and slightly distorted iterations of Burberry’s signature check pattern were debuted, appearing in statement car coats, tailored suits and dresses. The iconic Equestrian Knight design, which was completedly removed during Tisci’s tenure, was seen as a motif in many forms. Present on the backs of garments and in smaller details inside the hems of garments, it is clear that this will be one of the mainstay codes of Lee’s Burberry.
Then there was the tailoring. Inspired by the legendary Saville Row, the district’s iconic touches on bespoke made-to-measure such as peak lapels and an hourglass waist were evident. The street’s iconic fabrics like the Prince of Wales and houndstooth check jacquards were also reduxed in different compositions and colours.
Even from Lee’s first collection for Burberry, the bags that he created attracted buzz for its sensible yet chic designs. This season, the Shield sling bag returns with a crinkled leather and a Prince of Wales check iteration. The Knight bag also appears in a variety of sizes for different occasions. New bags in view are the Shield tote in quilted leather that’s embossed with the Equestrian Knight motif, as well as the Muff bag in leather. For statement bag lovers, a must-have would be the Peg bag which comes in a knitted Burberry check and is adorned with a quirky clothes-peg closure.
For more information, visit Burberry’s official site here.
