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Burberry is to show at London Fashion Week this September to mark the event's 25th anniversary.
For the first time in the British fashion house's 153-year history, it will present its women's Prorsum collection in London, after eight years of showing in Milan. But any Londoners expecting the catwalk to be ablaze with checked scarves and trench coats will be disappointed.
While the classic Burberry house check might still be selling well among the city's tourists, Burberry's catwalk collections are firmly focused on the sort of deluxe pieces that form a key part of a working woman's wardrobe.
“It feels like coming home,” said Burberry's designer Christopher Bailey, speaking exclusively to the Standard. “As a British company we are thrilled to be showing at London Fashion Week as it celebrates its 25th year. It feels like the right thing to do, and at exactly the right time.
“I only hope that the British fashion industry will welcome us with open arms — I feel a little nervous of how we will be received.”
The typically modest Bailey need not fret. The presence of Burberry on the London schedule lends considerable clout to an event widely regarded as home to the most innovative design talent of all the four fashion capitals.
While international press and buyers have long flocked to New York, Paris and Milan, London has traditionally had to work harder to attract an international presence, with some influential figures choosing to skip the capital's fashion week entirely. Having Burberry — a heavy advertiser — on the London schedule will add weight to what is already set to be a compelling week.
The event will also move from its previous venue, a tent in Natural History Museum grounds, to its new home in Somerset House. Also confirmed as part of the schedule are Luella Bartley, Vivienne Westwood, Paul Smith, Jaeger, Nicole Farhi and Giles Deacon. Plans to celebrate 25 years of the British Fashion Council are also under way.
While the official schedule has yet to be finalised, it is believed Burberry will close London Fashion Week by showing on the eve of 22 September. “We still have to find a venue,” Bailey said, “but we are pretty close to securing somewhere very special.”
Burberry will also host a closing party at its headquarters on Horseferry Road, an eight-storey paean to the brand, designed entirely by Bailey.
On Thursday, Burberry will mark the opening of its New York headquarters at 444 Madison Avenue, with a party for 300 guests. Champagne is sure to be on the menu — last week, the brand revealed its revenue had exceeded £1 billion for the first time, with revenue of £1.2 billion for the year to 31 March.
