Burberry 2024春夏系列：Daniel Lee的英式革新与品牌重塑

Burberry's Spring/Summer 2024 collection was unveiled during London Fashion Week on September 18th. Prior to the show, Burberry engaged in various marketing activities in central London, such as changing the signage of Bond Street underground station to 'Burberry Street' and partnering with the North London café Norman's. These initiatives helped Burberry gain attention even before the show began.

The show took place in a large plaid-printed tent at the Haybury Cricket Ground in the suburbs of London, creating a relaxed and joyful party atmosphere. The presence of celebrities such as Jun Ji-hyun and Chen Kun added to the star-studded gathering.

The tables in the venue were filled with coffee and traditional Irish stout bread, and guests attending the show found brand thermoses and blankets placed on their seats, similar to the treatment they received at Burberry's first show in February.

Before the show, the brand released three intriguing images on social media. The cherries, daisies, and strawberries in the pictures were all depicted in Burberry's signature blue, reminiscent of the new logo created by creative director Daniel Lee six months ago.

Since taking on the role last year, Daniel Lee has been reshaping the brand's image in his own way, aiming to create a clear visual identity for Burberry in people's subconscious minds. This focus on a new style is also reflected in this season's designs.

According to Daniel Lee's show notes, he wanted to evoke a sense of outdoor living and explore elements of lightness, beauty, sensuality, and elegance in this collection. The visual presentation of this collection gives the nearly 170-year-old fashion house a fresh new look.

Highlights of the Spring/Summer 2024 collection include the design of khaki trench coats and modified trench coat dresses, as well as the pairing of low-waisted belts with loafers and hobo bags. These elements showcase the brand's visual updates.

Printed patterns are another highlight of the collection, with Daniel Lee infusing his understanding and attitude towards London life into patterns featuring British summer flowers and fruits. The grass is one of the symbols of the Londoner's love for life, and the low saturation and high saturation of grass and flower patterns visualize the romance and freedom of British life. The use of disruptive colors makes the entire venue more in line with the feeling of London.

The layered design of the blue strawberry cluster also showcases the brand's unconventional spirit, whether it's a full suit or a contrasting strawberry top, it demonstrates the brand's departure from traditional norms.

In the second half of the show, the mysterious punk style and dark colors were incorporated into this aesthetic game. The purple-red and dark green on the dresses had a touch of black, and the deep brown shorts had a slight blue-purple glow. All the colors seemed to be covered with a layer of black gauze, as if they were extracted from a dim and intimate room. This color filter is a unique characteristic of Daniel Lee's design language.

These colors transformed the models wearing glamorous dresses into villainous characters on stage, while in daily life, these calm and understated tones are the best choice for commuting.

The classic trench coat also took on a new look in this collection. Unlike the heavy blanket coats of the previous season, Daniel Lee reimagined the trench coat as a lightweight outerwear more suitable for spring. The slim, knee-length silhouette, low-waisted design, asymmetrical lapels, delicate shoulder epaulettes, and wide belts added a lazy and casual touch to the overall look, removing some of the stiffness and conservatism.

The double-breasted two-piece men's suits in the collection pay tribute to London's Savile Row, the birthplace of tailored clothing and a symbol of traditional men's bespoke tailoring.

Meanwhile, Lee redesigned Burberry Prorsum's pattern, connecting metal buckles with chains and applying them extensively throughout the Total Look, abandoning the replication of concrete logos and catering to Generation Z's demand for logo-less aesthetics, showcasing his clever design thinking. The shield-shaped logo appears on accessories such as loafers, sunglasses, and bags, reflecting the connectivity of the logo and the feeling of design.

However, some people on social media have started to question whether Burberry, under Daniel Lee's leadership, still retains its British style, especially after cutting back on classic elements and raising prices. Some even expressed that they are gradually losing trust in Burberry.

However, there are also supporters who believe that this is a sign of Daniel Lee's progress. They believe that if the brand is too attached to the British style of former creative director Christopher Bailey, it will not be able to drive the brand's transformation, leading to declining performance. In comparison, Daniel Lee's designs are more youthful and can push the brand towards a more stable direction.

Ultimately, this also reflects the lack of confidence Burberry's customers and consumers have in the brand. However, according to the latest financial report, the introduction of the new trench coat collection has led to a 7% increase in Burberry trench coat sales over the past year, with sales in the fourth quarter increasing by 30%. Annual sales increased by 10% year-on-year, reaching £3.094 billion. It can be seen that Daniel Lee's designs have brought about positive changes and performance.

Since Daniel Lee returned to the UK, he has showcased a more intuitive British style for Burberry, setting a unique tone and personality for the brand. He changed the brand's logo upon taking office and redefined the brand's image with color. This reimagining not only introduced a new understanding of Burberry but also highlighted the brand's British heritage.

Although some people question Burberry's transformation and the absence of classic elements, the financial data and the repositioning of the brand's image demonstrate that Daniel Lee's designs are driving the brand's development and reform.

His efforts may not create a viral effect like Miu Miu, but it is foreseeable that his new collection will lead Burberry into a more stable future. This fundamental reform is what Burberry has needed for many years.

To mark the beginning of this new chapter, Burberry has cleared all content from its social media accounts, including Instagram and Weibo, and released its first creative advertising campaign directed by Daniel Lee, showcasing the brand's determination.

Of course, his first show after taking over retained the brand's classic elements while also replacing many items with yellow, red, royal blue, and other colors with unique texture, and adding more youthful and playful elements, giving classic a refreshing visual. The series also features a shirt printed with 'Change is inevitable', declaring his intention to bring change.

Burberry's change is also reflected in its choice of brand ambassadors. Last year, it first invited Thai actor Bright Vachirawit to become the brand's first South Asian spokesperson, followed by South Korean actress Jun Ji-hyun as the brand's ambassador, not only the first South Korean brand ambassador, but also very much in line with the brand's classic and elegant temperament, known as the 'strongest spokesperson'.

After taking office, Daniel Lee directly targeted the Korean market, first inviting Danielle, a member of the popular girl group NewJeans, to be the brand's ambassador, then inviting South Korean football star Son Heung-min, which sparked a lot of discussion. In April this year, he invited Chinese actor Chen Kun to become the brand ambassador, complementing the important Asian economic markets, signaling that Burberry intends to establish a foothold in Asia. This series of actions clearly shows Daniel Lee's ambition, and he has indeed made the century-old fashion house rise again and enter the public eye, but how it will perform in the future remains to be seen.