RICCARDO Tisci brought his genius to the runway for Burberry’s SS20 collection at LFW. Juggling the need to push a well-established fashion house into the future while maintaining the crucial and defining aspects of the brand would be hard for anyone else, but Tisci did so effortlessly in the aptly named collection, Evolution.
The show took place in west London and was presented in a vast theatre with rusted flooring and ceiling. The space reflected the palette of the collection with hues of white, grey, silver and neutral earth tones.
Celebrating new house codes, the collection blossomed from its roots in the Victorian Era, when Burberry was first established. Inspired by this time, satin bodices featured heavily in the collection, as well as delicate lace and feathered elements. These were used to accessorise silk slip dress and enliven plain white shirts. To bring the brand into the future, the Burberry logo was emblazoned across smart jackets and across the collars of shirts, modernising the traditional tailoring with bold, black letters.
The style of clothes was fairly muted, with a keen adherence to neutral tones, but Tisci did use pattern to add movement to the material. Printed silk scarves, zebra stripes and gingham were cleverly entwined within the collection, keeping onlookers on their toes.
Menswear kept in mind the classic timelessness of Burberry, this time adding feminine touches, such as hints of white lace and a sheer, diamante polo neck top. The looks were kept fairly casual, with models sporting Tisci’s take on modern loungewear – with a sophisticated, Burberry twist, of course.
Guests from the worlds of fashion, film, sport and music attended the show, including British talents Dua Lipa, FKA Twigs, Lily James, and Naomi Campbell, as well as Carla Bruni, Anwar Hadid, and brand ambassadors Zhou Dongyu and Ah In Yoo. The famous faces spilled out onto the catwalk, with Kendall Jenner, Gigi Hadid, Bella Hadid, Irina Shayk and Fran Summers making appearances. Models walked to an emotive soundtrack which included a remix of Prince’s When Doves Cry, curated by DJ William Djoko.
With modern faces, music and style, Tisci brought the Victorian brand into the 21st century without losing the quintessentially British spirit of Burberry.
by Alicia Pountney