Burberry’s creative director Riccardo Tisci chose to show his fall winter 2022 collection off the official fashion month schedule this season, staging an elaborate runway event at London’s Central Hall in Westminster. It was worth the wait. The decision to forgo the usual fashion month routine gave Tisci the time—and space—to put on a no holds barred show, marking Burberry’s first IRL runway event in more than two years in style. Staged on a ‘dinner table’ turned catwalk (the crowd gathered around and watched as models weaved through glassware, the end result being closer to a mosh pit than a traditional FROW), the intimate and star-studded guest list included Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell, Jacob Elordi, Carla Bruno, Eiza Gonzalez, and Adam Driver, with runway appearances from long-term Tisci muses Gigi and Bella Hadid, Mariacarla Boscono, and Irina Shayk.
Tisci inherited a difficult task when he took over from Christopher Bailey in 2018. Burberry has an established clientele who love the brand for its heritage and simplicity. How to keep those loyal customers happy, while also making Burberry a buzzy name for the sought after Generation Z? Over the last four years Tisci has proved his ability to do both at once, with everyone from Dua Lipa to Devon Lee Carlson obsessed with his wares, and for FW ‘22 he wanted to pay homage to that eclectic community that makes up the Burberry family. “It was important for me to explore what it means to belong, how our roots influence our identity and how the power of community and togetherness is what truly brings meaning to the world,” Tisci said in the collection’s notes. “I wanted this collection to convey that intensity of feeling and to celebrate not only coming together but the city in which we come together… the city in which Burberry grew and established a family. To me, London is a place of dreams, a capital building on its heritage and unified by its diverse community and an attitude of moving beyond boundaries—of pursuing limitless potential.”
That meant a playful mishmash of the brand’s heritage and its future. Punk motifs sat comfortably alongside the classic British country tropes that Burberry have been so instrumental in establishing. A sweet mid-length pleated skirt in the iconic Burberry check sat neatly alongside babydoll corsets in bubblegum pink lace. Oversized men’s style jackets were zhuzhed up with thigh-skimming leather boots, chunky cardigans went hyper-femme courtesy of intricately placed crystal motifs, skirt suits were prim and proper (the kind one might see in a season of The Crown) but modernised with graphic print silk blouses and oversized envelope purses. The standout looks came toward the end, where Tisci deconstructed the classic Burberry trench and quilted down coats and fashioned them into strapless evening gowns. A potent mix of utility and glamour, it was a clear vision for what the Burberry woman wants to look like in 2022.
