The Edit/Fashion & Beauty

IN PICS | Burberry kicks off London Fashion Week with a show in the countryside

Riccardo Tisci presented his spring-summer 2021 collection 'In Bloom' on Twitch

18 September 2020 - 08:18 By Sarah Mills
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Designer Riccardo Tisci poses backstage with models wearing creations from the Burberry spring-summer 2021 collection during the London Fashion Week.
Designer Riccardo Tisci poses backstage with models wearing creations from the Burberry spring-summer 2021 collection during the London Fashion Week.
Image: Burberry/Handout via Reuters

London Fashion Week kicked off on Thursday in the midst of a coronavirus pandemic with Britain's Burberry putting on a live virtual display of its latest collection which broke with the traditional catwalk show.

Burberry's Riccardo Tisci presented his spring-summer 2021 collection In Bloom on video streaming service Twitch, a first for the British fashion house that like others has had to adapt its runway show in the time of Covid-19.

While there were plenty of models gathered to showcase the collection, rather than featuring a catwalk, the surreal show, produced with artist Anne Imhof, was set in a circle in a wooded location.

“It began with a said of British summertime; embracing the elements with a trench coat on the beach mixing with the sand and the water,” Tisci, who joined Burberry as chief creative officer in 2018, said in a statement.

Models present creations from the Burberry spring-summer 2021 collection during the London Fashion Week.
Models present creations from the Burberry spring-summer 2021 collection during the London Fashion Week.
Image: Burberry/Handout via Reuters
A model presents a creation from the Burberry spring-summer 2021 collection during the London Fashion Week.
A model presents a creation from the Burberry spring-summer 2021 collection during the London Fashion Week.
Image: Burberry/Handout via Reuters

“I envisioned the people of this space, like the lighthousekeeper, and a love affair between a mermaid and a shark, set against the ocean, then brought to land,” he added, saying the circle represented regrowth, renewal and life.

The collection featured trench coats, fisherman-inspired bib-front trousers and sheer-chiffon trousers detailed with printed shorts.

Like other fashion houses, Burberry has seen a severe affect from Covid-19, with sales in its first quarter down 45%.

The company has said there will be no quick recovery, despite trading returning to pre-Covid-19 levels in mainland China in June.

A model presents a creation from the Burberry spring-summer 2021 collection during the London Fashion Week.
A model presents a creation from the Burberry spring-summer 2021 collection during the London Fashion Week.
Image: Burberry/Handout via Reuters
A model presents a creation from the Burberry spring-summer 2021 collection during the London Fashion Week.
A model presents a creation from the Burberry spring-summer 2021 collection during the London Fashion Week.
Image: Burberry/Handout via Reuters

Burberry's was one of only four actual shows taking place at fashion week, and Caroline Rush, the CEO of the British Fashion Council, said designers were using the limits imposed by Covid-19 to say of alternative ways to show off their work.

In Milan next week, many major brands will also opt for virtual or closed-door shows, accepting the loss of the live experience as the cost of keeping buyers and staff safe, though some brands will have live events.

Reuters

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