Italian duo have justified the ‘something for everyone’ approach
Burberry’s latest figures will come as a relief to chief executive Marco Gobbetti and chief creative officer Riccardo Tisci, the Italian duo who succeeded Christopher Bailey who, at one point, occupied both roles
before stepping down in 2017. Viewed from the outside, it has not been a smooth handover. Tisci – a 44-year-old avowed Anglophile who began his career with Monsoon, the high-street chain, and went on to head up Givenchy – has been on a mission to make Burberry more inclusive by broadening its appeal beyond the lucrative airport business selling its famous checks to Asian tourists
Injecting an aura of cool that articulates the contemporary meaning of British style meant making Burberry’s image less twee and more conscious of street style. Tisci’s pumped-up trainers and affordable T-shirts have arrived alongside more upmarket and luxurious pieces, with higher quality leathers to match,
“[This] is a house that can be something for everyone, mothers and daughters, fathers and sons,” he told me after his first Burberry show in September. However, critics have accused Tisci of lapsing into cheesy British clichés and trying to be too many things to too many people. Anyone who went into stores, however, knew that product quality had improved in some categories (handbags) and that there was a more distinctive flair to the clothes.
The figures suggest that customers are reacting positively – sales up 4pc at a time when retail generally is bleeding. How much of this is down to Gobbetti and how much emanates from the change in creative direction is moot. Intelligent synchronicity between designer and chief executive can be a powerful engine for growth.