Daniel Lee’s New Era of Burberry
This weekend saw an Instagram wipe (groundbreaking) from British luxury fashion house, Burberry, which was then followed by 12 posts each serving the purpose of ushering in a new era for the British brand. This new, unabashedly British era is all thanks to Daniel Lee’s eagerly anticipated debut campaign and sees the luxury house return to its roots while welcoming a new age.
Described as the creative director’s “first creative expression,” the campaign was shot by director Tyrone Lebon, and features a cast of notable Brits including musicians like John Glacier, Skepta, Lennon Gallagher and Shygirl, model Liberty Ross, actor Jun Ji-hyun, and member of the Chelsea and England football team, Raheem Sterling.
Lennon Gallagher by Tyrone Lebon
Lee’s campaign came together as an amalgamation of everything that could be understood as “a modern take on British luxury,” as described by Burberry themselves. This angle on Britishness takes a multi-ethnic, wide age range outlook to the brand’s identity, encompassing the full meaning of its modern ideals. The clothing featured in the campaign is Burberry heritage product, but the vision for the campaign all came from the creative mind of Lee.
John Glacier by Tyrone Lebon
What’s more is the new and improved “archive inspired” logo featured on every image. This new logo was one that had been entered and won entry into a public competition over 120 years ago. The logo is an original Equestrian Knight Design featuring the Latin word “Prorsum,” which translates to “Forwards” and also represents the retired ready-to-wear sub-brand from Burberry.
This re-introduced emphasis on the word forward is perhaps the best encapsulation of Lee’s goals for the brand as a whole: to bring it forward, constantly evolving its style and aesthetics, but always keeping a keenly British identity. By keeping the same traditional lettering Burberry has always been known for, it successfully brings the brand’s past forward, bridging it with this new creative direction.
With Lee replacing Riccardo Tisci as creative director, gaining four months of experience before this first creative drop, it will be exciting to see the brand’s hotly anticipated runway debut in the coming weeks.
Thomas Publow is a contributor at Glossi Mag. Currently finishing his degree in journalism from Toronto Metropolitan University, Thomas considers himself an expert in all things VMAs and Beyoncé.
