Burberry's Christopher Bailey Cements Support For LGBTQ Rights In Final Show As Creative Director

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London delivered its predictable grey drizzle for Burberry's Christopher Bailey's final collection on February 17, 2018, after 17 years with the iconic brand. Vogue's Sarah Mower sat down with Bailey for a poignant talk about his past, present and future. Bailey also spoke with Elizabeth Paton of the NY Times. 

Bailey dedicated his final collection to LGBTQ rights, ending his Burberry reign under a rainbow coalition of colored lights and a limited-edition rainbow-coated version of the iconic signature Burberry plaid. Three important charities -- The Trevor Project,The Albert Kennedy Trust, and the ILGA -- dedicated to LGBTQ rights worldwide are beneficiaries of the event. 

In a statement to WWD, Bailey explained: “My final collection here at Burberry is dedicated to — and in support of — some of the best and brightest organizations supporting LGBTQ youth around the world. There has never been a more important time to say that in our diversity lies our strength, and our creativity.”

Eye | Blondey McCoy's Burberry Manhattan Murals | 'Here We Are' In Hong Kong & Paris | Gobbetti on Luxury

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Burberry has teamed up with British artist, designer ande pro-skater Blondey McCoy for a three-mural collab in Manhattan. Celebrating the holiday season, the murals will be in place through December. 

The 19-year-old London-based model and skateboarder for brands like Palace, Adidas and Supreme 

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Burberry's new CEO Marco Gobbetti, plans to change the luxury brand's focus away from competing with brands like Polo Ralph Lauren and move it head-to-head with Louis Vuitton and Gucci. 

Consumers Prefer Either Luxury Itams or Mass-Market Brands . . . The Mid-Market offering No Longer Has A Place With These Consumers

Gobbetti, who comes to Burberry from the French house Celine, says consumers either wear H&M or Zara, top-end luxury brands -- or a mix for a creative look. The middle is a dead as America's closing shopping malls.

Burberry, one of the fashion industry's most successful turnaround brands in the early 200os, has lost its pep, says Gobbetti, who is searching for a new designer. 

“You want someone crazy to come in and break the mould,” said Michel Phan, professor of luxury marketing at the Emlyon Business School in France. With luxury brands captivated over Gucci's delightful and dramatic transformation.

“Young people in the fashion world don’t want to buy the same trench coat that their parents had.”

 

Burberry Celebrates Sculptor Henry Moore At London's Makers House Feb. 21-27

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Models wearing Burberry’s February collection in front of Henry Moore’s Sheep Piece (1971–72). Courtesy of Burberry/Josh Olins.

Art and fashion are merging again with an ambitious collaboration between British giants: sculptor Henry Moore and Burberry. The pairing is yet another celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Henry Moore Foundation. 

"The show, running from February 21 to 27, will take place in Burberry’s Makers House space, right in the heart of London’s Soho. Admission is free for the exhibit gathering 40 works by Moore, including sculptures, working models, and drawings."

“I have been fascinated by the great British sculptor Henry Moore for as long as I can remember—his work has always had a powerful influence on me. Looking at, and thinking about, his work set up a series of conversations as we began working on our latest collection,” Christopher Bailey, Burberry chief creative and chief executive officer, said in a statement.

“Moore’s work on display will be a shining example of the creativity and enormous contribution he made to the development of contemporary art in the UK and way beyond, and I’m excited to be showing our February collection alongside the remarkable work of the artist that inspired it,” Bailey added.

Josh Olins shot Burberry's Spring 2017 ad campaign at the Henry Moore Studios & Gardens in Hertfordshire. 

Henry Moore, Draped Reclining Mother and Baby (1983). Photo Martin Davis ©The Henry Moore Foundation.