Riccardo Tisci pays homage to London's creativity in the latest Burberry show

The highlight of the London Fashion Week Sunday was definitely the Burberry show, the second collection designed by Riccardo Tisci. The FW19 collection didn't differ very much from the debut of last season, signature items of the fashion house - first and foremost the trench - couldn't be missing, as well as the classic beige palette. This time, though, Tisci had decided to dare more, bringing back on the catwalk that goth and dark aesthetic that became his signature style at Givenchy. Season after season Tisci is taking courage, progressively coming to terms with the unwieldy heritage of Burberry, in an attempt of revisiting, adapting and developing it according to his taste. 

The show, entitled Tempest, took place inside the Tate Museum. The guests were sitting in two distinct rooms, different for the environment and interior design. The first one, more 'brutalist' and post-industrial, was surrounded by a cage with steel scaffolding, over which dozens of kids, wearing generic tracksuits, shorts, and hoodies climbed and hung out as the show went on. The second one, on the other hand, was an elegant wooden space with comfortable cream-cushioned seats with something akin to a luxury private cinema. Two completely different spaces, almost opposite, but still complementary. 

The setting was, in fact, in accordance with the theme of the show 'England as a country of contrasts', both from a political and weather point of view. On the one hand, Tisci wanted to address the current English political situation, complex to say the least after the Brexit, an unusual choice for a designer that has never expressed his political beliefs. On the other hand, the collection had a much deeper and more personal meaning. 

"I dedicate this show to the youth of today, to them having the courage to scream for what they believe in, for them to find the beauty in expressing their voice. I will be forever grateful to London for being the city that opened my eyes and mind and gave me the freedom when I was young to discover who I truly am."

Such an important and special bond with the city of London was further highlighted in the choice of the soundtrack for the show, created for the occasion by M.I.A., because she "embodies the raw creativity and individuality at the heart of England. [...] We are both from other parts of the world, but are proud to call London our home and have connected over our hunger to express ourselves without boundaries." 

As opposed to what happened in the debut show, Tisci opened the show with his proposals for youth, deviating from the history of the fashion house. Models sported revisited blazers, duvets, leather jackets, Westwood-inspired corset tops, colorful prints, rugby shirts, tracksuits, lace details and fur inserts. Streetwear becomes sophisticated. After a break of mainly black items, the second part of the show follows more closely the classic Burberry aesthetic: trench, pleated skirts, monochromatic suits, a timeless elegance made contemporary thanks to unexpected details and layers made of a duvet, fur and leather. 

107 looks between womenswear and menswear where the palette revolves around beige, also featuring hints of striking green, red, blue, orange, pink and black tones. Tisci also revisited Burberry’s iconic vintage check pattern as well as the iconic Thomas Burberry monogram print throughout the pieces. Tisci also debuted the TB bag in new iterations, and large versions of The Society bag, also in a men's reiteration. 

The beauty look of the models did not go unnoticed. Hairstylist Guido Palau wanted to refer to the weather and climate of London: several of his womenswear models had tiny strands gelled to the forehead shaped into place thanks to the gel, for a final wet-look. Palau took inspiration from youth culture, but also Art Nouveau, especially for the curvy lines. This type of hairstyles are recurring and identifying elements of Latinx and Black Culture in general, a style already spotted last year at Alexander McQueen, and even at Givenchy during the Tisci era, who brought on the catwalk an identical look back in 2015. 

On the runway walked the top models part of the Tisci-clan: Stella Tennant, Natalia Vodianova, Irina Shayk, Mariacarla Boscono and Gigi Hadid.