At the London Fashion Week, Burberry puts spin on romance
Named ‘In Bloom’ and initially inspired by British summertime, Burberry showcased the brand’s water-themed spring-summer 2021 collection
London Fashion Week kicked off on Sept. 17 in the midst of a coronavirus pandemic with Britain’s Burberry puting on a live virtual display of its latest collection which broke with the traditional catwalk show.
Burberry’s Riccardo Tisci presented his springsummer 2021 collection “In Bloom” on video streaming service Twitch, a first for the British fashion house that like others has had to adapt its runway show in the time of COVID-19.
While there were plenty of models gathered to showcase the collection, rather than featuring a catwalk, the surreal show, produced with artist Anne Imhof, was set in a circle in a wooded location.
“It began with a thought of British summertime; embracing the elements with a trenchcoat on the beach mixing with the sand and the water,” Tisci, who joined Burberry as chief creative officer in 2018, said in a statement.
“I envisioned the people of this space, like the lighthousekeeper, and a love affair between a mermaid and a shark, set against the ocean, then brought to land,” he added, saying the circle represented regrowth, renewal and life.
The collection featured trenchcoats, fisherman-inspired bib-front trousers and sheer-chiffon trousers detailed with printed shorts.
Named “In Bloom” and initially inspired by “British summertime”, it showcased the brand’s water-themed spring-summer 2021 collection as “streetwear meets classic,” according to Burberry.
It featured plenty of natural canvas, denim and industrial, rubberised fabrications alongside chiffon and crystal embroideries, in offerings including trench coats, double-waisted trousers and even a boiler suit for men. Riccardo Tisci, its Italian designer, collaborated with the German artist Anne Imhof for “a collision of fashion and art”.
“The duo have conceived a fashion show as a performance... designed as an installation exploring the freedom of expression — transforming fiction into fact as the real becomes unreal,” the label added.
The show was streamed live for the first time on Amazon-owned Twitch, a plaform that popularised communal video gaming by including comments from players and spectators.
Other highlights of the week include the collections of former Spice Girl turned designer Victoria Beckham, London-based South Korean creator Eudon Choi and Briton Molly Goddard.
In normal times, fashion labels typically compete to stage their shows in the most extravagant setings, hoping to atract VIPS and influencers posting photos from the event.
But amid ongoing restrictions due to the virus, which has claimed more than 41,600 lives in Britain where cases are climbing again, fashion has moved firmly to the Internet. Elle UK editorin-chief Farrah Storr said she is preparing to watch the week’s opening shows from her kitchen table “in my cashmere joggers” with her two dogs.