Why Tisci’s Burberry debut was the quiet revolution of London Fashion Week

Over the last few weeks, orange-and-white pretzel loops have taken over London. Designed by cult English art director Peter Saville, the new Burberry monogram has been plastered all over the city: on the walls, on the tube, in the newspapers and on taxi cabs. Riccardo Tisci’s debut catwalk collection for the label was the most anticipated moment of London Fashion Week — partly because the match of the ex-Givenchy Italian designer and the British heritage brand seemed so unexpected, but partly because it felt like a turning point. Tisci was to show his take on Britishness in the post-Brexit politically complex era, but also to make a statement about the future of luxury in the fashion industry. In the last couple of years, we’ve seen the transformations of Gucci, Balenciaga and Louis Vuitton — each creating a story the consumer could believe and buy into. The story of Burberry by Riccardo Tisci was substantial (133 looks), rooted in deep archival research, immaculately beautiful and unexpectedly safe.

Shown in a former Mail Centre in Vauxhall, the collection was titled “Kingdom” and divided into three parts: refined, relaxed, and evening. The refined: trench coats and fine tailoring, delicate blouses in the signature beige check and the new monogram pattern, silk scarves, pleats and pencil skirts (in leather, for an extra kick of sex appeal), and countless shades of beige. The relaxed part was more expressive and referred to the history of British youth culture: leathers, corsets and animal prints. With boxy silhouettes and loose tailoring, it truly belonged to Tisci, the man who pioneered the combination of streetwear and luxury during his years at Givenchy. The show finished with a series of sleek and understated black evening dresses. There was a lot to take in.

In anticipation of the show, the talk among the fashion press was: Tisci for Burberry is going to be a “love it or hate it” moment. In fact, we couldn’t have been more wrong: there was something here for absolutely everyone. One could endlessly break the collection down into different elements which could easily exist in very different contexts. Honey-coloured trench coat in crocodile-patterned leather, red and white silk scarves, beige check blouses, belt bags with the “TB” monogram — these pieces were a take on classic luxury commodities but timely and versatile, easily adaptable for different wardrobes and demographics.

At the same time, contemporary luxury is not really about the bag or the monogram — but about strategy and innovation. The transformation of Burberry is not only down to Riccardo Tisci, but also its new CEO Marco Gobetti, who was responsible for the phenomenal success of Céline alongside Phoebe Philo. Following Tisci’s appointment at Burberry in May, the label has adopted the streetwear-inflected visual language on social media — but Gobetti has made it clear that the new era is going to be all about luxury, the territory of Gucci and Louis Vuitton.

Founded in 1856, Burberry doesn’t immediately scream luxury. It’s most renowned for the trench coat (a practical wardrobe staple but a bit stiff) and the signature beige check (previously reserved for aristocracy but adopted by bootleggers and football hooligans). The former creative director Christopher Bailey worked at Burberry for 17 years and successfully turned it into a global industry player. He also laid a foundation for digital innovation: Burberry was one of the first to live-stream their shows, sell through social media and adopt the see-now-buy-now approach.

For his first Burberry collection, Riccardo Tisci delved into the 162-year-old archive and emerged with a finely-crafted vision for the brand. He has also emerged with a timely set of values: fur-free and inclusive. In a statement which went out with the collection, Tisci emphasised that it was a “celebration of the cultures, the traditions and the codes of this historic fashion house and of the eclecticism that makes up the beautifully diverse United Kingdom”. Burberry has also vowed to address the practice of burning of old stock which made headlines last month, seeking to repair, donate or recycle it instead. “Modern luxury means being socially and environmentally responsible,” Gobetti commented.

With a fairly traditional styling and all-star casting, Tisci’s Burberry was more about the product than the revolutionary vision — unlike the work of great British rebels like Alexander McQueen or Vivienne Westwood (although a Burberry collaboration with the dame is planned for the near future). The revolution of Tisci and Gobetti is a quiet one: it’s about values, communication networks and, crucial in the post-Supreme fashion context, about manipulating the consumers’ desire. It was announced that select pieces from Tisci’s debut runway collection will be available to buy for 24 hours exclusively on Instagram, WeChat and physically at Burberry’s London flagship store. Who knew you cared about beige check silk blouses and nylon trench coats? Well, you do now.