Burberry's Riccardo Tisci said the dream of being able to explore, a freedom denied during covid-19 lockdowns, had inspired his first menswear-focused collection for the British luxury label. It was recently presented at the London Fashion Week.
"Enclosed indoors, I dreamt of the outdoors and its beauty, fuelled by the thought of the creativity that comes when we are together," Tisci said.
"With this dream in mind, I became fascinated by the widespread British craft and outdoor movements of the early 20th century, when people escaped to explore the unknown countryside."
Outerwear was a focus in the Autumn/Winter 2021 collection, presented by both men and women and filmed at Burberry's flagship Regent Street store in central London before being released on social media channels on Monday.
Burberry's traditional trenches were reimagined with pleats, panels and fringes, while the colour palette centred on tonal shades of beige, bark brown, oxblood burgundy and city greys. It also included silk skirts.
The show was quite different from Burberry’s September show, which was livestreamed on gaming platform Twitch from the depths of the British countryside. It even featured dancers and a live band.
Tisci joined the 165-year-old brand in 2018 to give creative direction to chief executive Marco Gobbetti's repositioning of the house further upmarket.
His designs have attracted new younger customers, particularly in the important Chinese market.
Like other labels, Burberry has been hit hard by global restrictions on shop opening and travel and tourism.
In December, the Burberry fragrance maker sold a majority stake in its professional and retail hair division to US buyout firm KKR & Co Inc, reported Reuters. It said its net revenue from continuing operations fell about 16% to $1.42 billion in the second quarter ended 31 December.
It reported a 9% decline in sales in its third quarter, a bigger drop than the 6% in the second quarter.
The company said last month trading would be remain susceptible to regional disruptions but it was confident of rebounding when the pandemic eased given the brand's resonance with customers.
