Closing out London Fashion Week’s Fall 2023 season was the long awaited debut of Daniel Lee for Burberry. Lee’s approach took a forceful hit to the reset button on the British brand. The collection paid homage to the brand’s roots in outerwear, but with a twist that included feathers, utility pockets, head-to-toe tights, chubby furry collars, massive scarfs, and fuzzy trimmed bags. Let’s just say Lee is taking Burberry into uncharted territory that has never been seen in its 167 year history.
Lee, the former creative director of Bottega Veneta, caused massive shockwaves in the industry after unexpectedly leaving the brand in 2021. Following Riccardo Tisci’s departure in September 2022, Lee quickly piqued fans’ excitement for what was in store. For instance, a raw campaign shot by Tyrone Lebon featuring Vanessa Redgrave, John Glacier, Shygirl, Lennon Gallagher, Liberty Ross, and Jun Ji-hyun grabbed the attention of fashion fanatics. Not to mention he introduced a new-and-improved logo that reinstated the iconic equestrian knight.
There is no surprise that Lee has the golden touch in terms of creating an “it” brand, and his debut at Burberry is no exception. The designer took “innate Britishness” to a completely different level with oversized checkered dresses, faux fur, trench coats, print play, and mixing streetwear with formal wear. New cuts and fresh colorways with vibrant plaids donned the runway. Scarlet mixed with deep navy, and royal purples were paired with daffodil yellows. Additionally, Lee is famous for creating covetable accessories such as puffed sneakers, fluffed-up fuzzy heels, blanket coats, and knitted water bottle covers.
There is no surprise that Lee derived his inspiration from all things British, with a new updated color palette that spoke volumes to the new generation of individualists. On the runway, models were piled with accessories that were small gems within the collection as a whole. For example, the models wore silver chains, giant scarves, and messenger bags with mismatched faux animal tails. The message of oversized everything dominated the catwalk: massive trapper hats, yellow fur-trimmed coats, knit duckbill hats, belts over coats, ear muffs with sunglasses, and massive blanket coats that swallowed the models in Lee’s magpie maximalist fantasy.
The most enjoyable aspect of the collection was how Lee interpreted the foundation of clichéd Britishisms: plaids, knights errant, hunting decoys and roses. He took these concepts and filtered each garment through a punk/grunge-like lens, added British dry humor, and raised it to the luxury ready-to-wear level.
Lee’s debut was a harmonious balance of heritage and contemporary. Every garment within the collection dabbled with opposing color palettes and strayed away from playing it safe. I think we can confidently say that Lee is steering Burberry into a new direction filled with endless possibilities, and we’re waiting with anticipation to see what’s next.
Words by Mia Aponte.
Graphic by Riley Gagne.