Christopher Bailey leaves Burberry: this is how he revolutionized the brand

A few days ago, in front of an audience where the faces of Naomi Campbell, Kate Moss, Liam Gallagher, Idris Elba and Poppy Delevingne stood out, Christopher Bailey presented his latest show for Burberry.

After 17 years, the designer abandons the English label and does so with a collection dedicated to some of the best and brightest organizations that support LGBTQ + young people around the world. This proposal, characterized by the reinterpretation of the iconic check fabric in rainbow version, is a riot of fantasies, colors and pop graffiti that, playing with stratifications and combinations, reaffirms the importance of being oneself.

This is the umpteenth success for Bailey who, since the nomination of Creative Director in 2001, has worked hard and managed to ferry Burberry to the digital age, to transform the beige, white, black and red check into an iconic pattern the fashion house is the quintessence of a contemporary Britishness.

Here's how Christopher Bailey did to make Burberry a brand new desirable in 5 moves.

 

#1 From cheap to cool

At the end of the 90s Burberry ended up in oblivion, trapped in a distant glorious past and suffocated by hundreds of trivial imitations that made the check synonymous with cheap.

Bailey radically flips the situation.

As? Limit the use of tartan to some garments and details, making it more exclusive and refined and countering the numerous counterfeits. Expands the range of garments and products and renews the trench by making it more feminine and with better fabrics. Revives the image of the brand by wearing its garments from models, actresses and it girls of the moment, from Kate Moss to Sienna Miller, to Kate Middleton who, in 2016, wore it on the cover of British Vogue for the edition of 100 years of the magazine.

 

#2 Burberry 2.0

Burberry is one of the most innovative companies in the industry, among the first to have focused on digital, taking advantage of social networks, creating an online community, streaming shows and embracing the "see-now, buy-now" strategy.

In 2011 he inaugurated Tweetwalk, the first fashion show to be previewed on Twitter, while in 2015 the brand was the first to launch a channel on Apple Music, but also established partnerships with Snapchat, Periscope and Instagram.

Also, in 2016, Bailey announced that the fashion house would present only two collections a year, both male and female, between September and February.

 

#3 Not just trenches

The style of Bailey from Burberry teaches us that the trench coat is an iconic and transversal garment, which is best to combine loads and patterns with a neutral color, that denim is ok if well cut and structured and a good coat makes us perfect in every occasion.

 

#4 Not just clothes

Asked about his biggest contribution to the house, Bailey talked about his pride in including fashion in a context:

“I hope I showed that fashion needs an environment: it’s not just about clothes but about people, music, places, art.”

The designer's Burberry shows are actually real shows with singers like George Ezra, Tom Odell and Patrick Wolf performing while the models walk on the catwalk.

Even the locations are choreographic. Some examples? Kensington Gardens, Makers House in Soho and Old Sessions House in Farringdon, London.

 

#5 Cool Britannia 

Bailey has the merit of turning Burberry into an English icon.

He did so by creating collections inspired by the great names of British culture such as Henry Moore, David Hockney and Virginia Woolf; pushing young British talents to perform at his show, to wear his garments or to act as testimonials; making Burberry parade again in London and making this one of the most anticipated events of the British Fashion Week.