The most anticipated fashion show in London met everyone’s expectations. It was the last scollection designed by Christopher Bailey, who has been creative director of the British brand since 2004, but was part of the creative team since 2001. The show was a triumph of melancholy and colours, rich in references to the brand’s past. Of course, the presence of Cara Delevigne on the catwalk never goes unnoticed. She is, indeed, one of Christopher’s most famous “discoveries”. Cara was dressed in white with a rainbow cape, halfway between a clown and an lgbt manifesto. The brand’s classic and revolutionary Rainbow check, trench coats, skirts, oversized sweatshirts, transparencies and textile experiments were some of the essential elements of the show. Dazzling and melancholic at the same time.
Burberry and LGBTQ+ communities
- The LGBTQ+ rainbow, an emblem for optimism and inclusiveness, features prominently across the collection, rooted in the introduction of a new Rainbow check, the latest iteration of Burberry’s most iconic symbol.
- The Rainbow check pieces in the collection are available to purchase now online and in Burberry stores globally.
- To solidify its support of LGBTQ+ communities, Burberry has made donations to three charities – the Albert Kennedy Trust, the Trevor Project and ILGA – all dedicated to broadening the awareness, mentoring and resources available around the world.
- Burberry has also launched a Snapchat Lens bringing the Rainbow check to life. The Lens allows users to immerse themselves into the Burberry AR experience by virtually wearing a Burberry Rainbow check cap. The Lens is accessible via a unique snapcode which is live for the next 90 days in US and UK as well as in France for one week.
Collaborating with United Visual Artists
- Christopher Bailey has collaborated with United Visual Artists (UVA) on a reimagining of its work ‘Our Time’. The installation, which served as the backdrop to Burberry’s February 2018 runway show, is on special loan from the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) in Australia.
- ‘Our Time’ is an installation investigating the subjective experience of the passing of time, and has never been shown before outside of MONA.
- The installation combines movement, light and sound as a multisensory, multidimensional canvas into which the visitor can enter – pendulums swing, each to their own rhythm, as time flows through the grid.
- For the show, ‘Our Time’ has been ‘reprogrammed’ in response to the specific nature of the venue and concept of the show.
- As well as collaborating on the reinterpretation of ‘Our Time’, Christopher and UVA also designed a new original piece for the show’s finale called ‘Spectrum’, a new installation with rainbow coloured lights and kaleidoscopic patterns that transformed the space.
- Based in a studio in Bermondsey, London, UVA has created a broad body of work encompassing wall-based artwork, sculpture, large-scale site-specific installation and live performance.
- Since it was founded in 2003 by Matt Clark, UVA has been commissioned worldwide for institutions such as the Barbican Curve gallery, Victoria & Albert Museum, Serpentine Galleries, The Wellcome Trust, Manchester International Festival and YCAM Japan. Works have also been acquired by the collections of Fondation Cartier in France and MONA in Australia.
