Shaking Things Up
The plan is to excite the customer with frequent drops, and a flow of fresh merchandise.
Riccardo Tisci is changing Burberry’s delivery schedule with plans to release a limited-edition capsule collection along with his September runway debut.
LONDON — Riccardo Tisci is ripping up the rule book ahead of his upcoming runway show for Burberry in September, with plans to release a limited-edition capsule collection as part of his hotly anticipated runway debut, WWD has learned.
The capsule will be delivered in a series of instant drops that are set to begin from September, although it's unclear whether the merchandise will start landing before — or after — Burberry's London Fashion Week show, which is set for 5 p.m. on Sept. 17.
This is the second Burberry capsule collection to come to light since Friday, when Tisci announced on Instagram he was working on a collaboration with Vivienne Westwood that will drop in December. It is understood that a bigger strategy is taking shape at Burberry, with a steady rhythm of drops planned throughout the year to keep product fresh, and the conversation with the consumer lively.
The aim is to keep the delivery cycle fluid and creatively led and speak to the consumer via product, communications and experiences. The moves were confirmed by Burberry, although the company did not provide details.
The delivery plan is an evolution of Burberry's former see-now-buy-now strategy and fulfills chief executive officer Marco Gobbetti's promise earlier this year of upping the number of drops throughout the season.
In May, following the year- end results presentation, Gobbetti said the company would be doing frequent drops throughout the year instead of putting its entire runway product on sale immediately after the show, a strategy that former president and chief creative officer Christopher Bailey had pioneered.
“Our go-to-market strategy is about more frequent, smaller deliveries, and it's a strategy that will continue for now. If we deliver the full collection right away, you come to the store, see the whole collection and then you don't really have a reason to come again, unless we can deliver something new. We just need to keep the customer's attention and keep them engaged with us,” Gobbetti said.
Going forward, it is understood that Burberry will have an almost monthly cadence of new deliveries of capsules, collaborations, limited-edition product and seasonal collections across its categories.
It's shaping up to be a big week for Burberry, with a first-quarter trading update on Wednesday and the annual general meeting the following day, with a new chairman, Gerry Murphy, at the helm of the company.