The brand’s catwalk took place against the backdrop of an industry on the brink of scrapping its traditional business model
Christopher Bailey was more succinct than usual in his summation of the new Burberry collection. “The Mitford sisters, glam rock, military, wellies. Just a patchwork of things that I love,” he said backstage after the London fashion week show.
The point is that the Burberry story right now is much bigger than the clothes on the catwalk. Bailey and Burberry represent the forces of modernisation in an industry whose traditional business model, of catwalks showcasing clothes six months before they appear in stores, is on the brink of being declared unfit for purpose now that the fashion consumer can see the collections instantaneously on the internet. This Burberry collection will be the last to operate on a time delay. From September, the brand’s clothes will be shown on the catwalk at the same time as going in stores.
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