Riccardo Tisci’s debut show for Burberry is undoubtedly the most anticipated on this season’s London Fashion Week schedule. With scarce information or previews, knowledge of what direction the Italian designer will be taking the storied British brand is limited to a Peter Saville-designed monogram, a collaboration with Vivienne Westwood, and a lot of archive referencing taking place via Instagram. Famed for his dark, brooding glamour at Givenchy, what he’ll do with Burberry’s classic British staples could be the beginning of a radical new dawn in the house’s 162-year history.
Beyond the designs, one thing that’s certain is that Tisci wants to revolutionise the current product release strategy. Under Christopher Bailey, Burberry was one of the most high-profile fashion houses to adopt the “see now, buy now” model. For his final collection back in February, however, Bailey made some of the show’s looks available immediately after the show, while others were released later in the season. As reported back in June, Tisci intends to build on this new model, by releasing his collection in stages.
Shedding more light on this strategy via a press release this morning, Burberry explained that “ephemeral, limited-edition product” from Tisci’s first collection for the fashion house will be available to purchase for 24 hours after the show has finished. These will be the first of a series of pieces you can buy in 24-hour release cycles, purchasable through Burberry’s Instagram and WeChat accounts (a Chinese social media platform with over one billion users as of March), as well as the London flagship store. It’s a strategy which undoubtedly looks to replicate the success of streetwear behemoth Supreme. However, with a much higher price point — one out of the grasp of many of the teenagers who flood Peter Street in Soho each Thursday — whether it can be as effective remains to be seen.
The redesigned Burberry store on Regent Street, will open on Saturday 15 September, completely reimagined by Tisci. Inside there will be themed rooms which will look to “celebrate the past and future of Burberry through product”, as well as Sisyphus Reclined, an immersive and interactive art installation by Graham Hudson.