By Merja Iileka

When heritage British brand, Burberry, announced last September that it was welcoming a new creative director, Daniel Lee, there was great optimism that the 37-year-old English designer would rekindle glory to Britain's sole major global luxury fashion brand.

Now, with his second collection for the brand unveiled and Lee celebrating his first year at the helm, the question on many minds is whether he is truly Burberry's saviour or if he is flogging a dead horse.

Lee, celebrated as the quintessential 21st-century designer, had previously left his mark at Maison Margiela, Balenciaga, and Donna Karan.

In 2012, he joined Céline in Paris as the director of ready-to-wear, where he played a pivotal role in rejuvenating the French maison's reputation alongside then-creative director Phoebe Philo.

During his tenure at the Italian fashion powerhouse Bottega Veneta, Lee brought about a subtle transformation characterised by modernity and youthful appeal. He became renowned for the Pouch bag, which now comes in a plethora of colours, styles, and textures, including Bottega's iconic Intrecciato weave.

*The Pouch Bag, the Jodie and the Casette Bag (Bottega Veneta)*

Lee's creative genius also birthed other modern pieces and ubiquitous accessories that have become Bottega staples, such as the Casette bag, Jodie bag, tyre boot, netted mesh sandal, and padded sandal.

At Burberry, Lee succeeded Italian designer Riccardo Tisci, who departed the heritage luxury brand after a five-year tenure as chief creative officer.

Before his time at Burberry, Tisci, known for his gothic aesthetics, had successfully revolutionised Givenchy during his tenure as creative director for women's haute couture and ready-to-wear lines.

*Riccardo Tisci with celebrities Ye and Madonna (Wireimage/Kevin Mazur)*

Tisci was brought to Burberry by his compatriot and then-CEO Marco Gobbetti, who had held the same position at Givenchy during Tisci's tenure.

Upon their reunion at Burberry, the Italians devised a strategy to infuse the British heritage label with international appeal, targeting a younger and more fashion-conscious audience.

Leveraging the trend of logomania, Tisci collaborated with design legend Peter Saville to reimagine the brand's logo, adding a "T" for Thomas to the famous Burberry "B."

Amid this transformation, a new, simplified, and contemporary logo was introduced. Although a significant departure from the brand's traditional equestrian theme, it made the logo more versatile for various products.

Under their watch, the company also discontinued the use of fur to enhance sustainability and abandoned the controversial practice of burning unsold merchandise.

These initiatives initially appeared to be on the right track, with Burberry's sales and operating profits recovering, despite challenges such as the unrest in Hong Kong, which disrupted retail activity in a key market.

By early 2020, Gobbetti and Tisci were brimming with confidence.

Then came Brexit, followed by the arrival of Covid-19.

Gobbetti's initial plans to position the brand further upmarket began to falter as Burberry struggled to replicate the robust growth experienced by its French counterparts.

Shortly thereafter, Gobbetti bid farewell to Burberry, opting to return to the warmth of Italy, where he assumed leadership of the luxury goods group Ferragamo.

Returning to its British roots, Burberry appointed Jonathan Akeroyd, a British native, as its new CEO to succeed Gobbetti.

*Jonathan Akeroyd (Sunday Times/Vicki Couchman)*

For Tisci, a new dawn at Burberry was not good news. Covid crisis interruptions and with Gobbetti no longer in his corner, Tisci's Burberry failed to gain the momentum that Givenchy did under his guidance.

One of Tisci's challenges, despite his popularity among celebrities, was his heavy reliance on influencer activations and Instagrammable moments. While his runway designs generated social media buzz, there was a noticeable disconnect in how they resonated with customers, as his creations prioritised photogenic appeal over wearability.

Tisci was clearly out of touch with the brand’s identity and appeared to be moving further and further away from the label’s Britishness.

In contrast, Tisci's predecessor, Christopher Bailey, who was with Burberry for 17 years, embraced and celebrated Burberry's rich heritage, with each collection serving as a love letter to Britain.

For the fiscal year ending in March 2021, Burberry saw a decline in sales by 11%. After that, Tisci’s days at Burberry were numbered.

As the new CEO in 2022, Akeroyd unveiled a turnaround strategy to reignite sales growth and transform Burberry into a £5 billion megabrand.

Akeroyd's plan centered on Lee's talent for creating coveted accessories, which currently account for 38% of sales and form the cornerstone of Burberry's expansion in footwear and leather goods.

In addition to revitalising the product lineup, Akeroyd and Lee are working to refine the brand's messaging to emphasise its distinctive British identity.

This involves returning to a sense of Britishness, a complex task in the 21st century marked by political and social unrest.

Leading up to Lee's highly anticipated debut at London Fashion Week in February 2023, he introduced a new typeface for Burberry.

*Burberry’s logos over the years (Burberry)*

The design featured the return of the equestrian knight bearing a flag that reads "Prorsum" (Latin for "Forward"), rendered in bold blue with an original typography that injected personality back into the brand identity.

Initially introduced in 1901, this motif was a signature element for Burberry during its department store-driven heyday in the 2000s but was retired in 2018, replaced by a monogram in an effort by Tisci and Gobbotti to appeal to a younger audience.

Many saw the return of the equestrian motif as a sign of Burberry's respect for its decades-long heritage and an acknowledgment of the value of its identity—a reminder that a brand of this stature cannot simply follow fleeting trends.

For Lee's inaugural collection at Burberry in February, there was a clear emphasis on the colour blue and new pieces featuring the brand's logo and signature heritage check, reimagined in fresh colour palettes.

*Pieces from Daniel Lee’s Autumn-Winter 2023 (AW23) collection (Burberry)*

As expected, Lee introduced a range of new accessories, from thong sandals and slippered loafers to shimmering clogs and slouchy bags, including buckled body bags.

Lee's debut at Burberry seemed to embody the mood that had initially prompted Tisci's appointment.

During Burberry's first-quarter results in July, the brand reported that the AW23 collection had been met with "great reception so far," with Lee's products expected to constitute 75% of Burberry's assortment by March 2024.

Throughout September's London Fashion Week, Burberry generated significant buzz, unveiling a revamped e-commerce site and a city-wide marketing push, including the renaming of Bond Street tube station to "Burberry Street."

*Bond Street station was transformed into Burberry Street during London Fashion Week (Burberry)*

This demonstrated that fashion brands can extend their influence beyond the runway, maintaining their prominence with both consumers and the media.

In addition to Bond Street, Burberry transformed Norman's, a renowned London cafe famous for its fry-ups, into a showcase of the brand's signature blue check.

Lee's second collection for Spring/Summer 2024 (SS24) on Monday felt less like a flashy debut and more like a confident, understated outing.

The opening look was a black drop-waist belted coat — setting the agenda for what would be a collection of functional and utilitarian pieces, with a focus on outerwear, including various interpretations of the iconic trench coat in different lengths.

*Looks from Daniel Lee’s SS24 collection (Burberry)*

This offering, which comes just as Lee’s debut collection arrives in stores, aimed to be both commercial yet editorial, quirky but ultimately rooted in the classics, dressy and versatile, but also full of practical outerwear.

Burberry performs at its best when embracing its iconic British DNA, so Lee’s interpretation of his own Britishness will likely resonate with customers and drive increased engagement.

However, it is still early days, and time alone will tell if Lee can rescue Burberry from the trenches its previous creative director left it in.

Is Daniel Lee Burberry’s knight in shining armour?