Now two seasons in at the British heritage brand, and Daniel Lee is finding his footing at Burberry. Showing the Spring 2024 collection through a series of lookbook images, Daniel Lee’s designs aren’t confused, detached or out of touch, they are Burberry.
When Daniel Lee joined Burberry, he made waves before even showing his first collection, with his vision being clear after he took the Burberry logo back to a serif font and brought back the 1901 Equestrian Knight Device. Essentially, Daniel Lee would be taking Burberry back to its roots.
But when the first collection for FW23 landed, and the reactions were mixed. The famous beige check with white, black and red detailing was missing, instead reinvented in shades of blue, yellow, red and other colours. Some of us were disappointed by the lack of Burberry in the collection and confused as to where it lies within the Burberry universe, while some of us were impressed by the fresh new take and perspective of a brand that could easily rely on copy-pasted versions of old motifs. Whatever your opinion was, you were talking about it, and in that sense, Daniel Lee’s debut at Burberry was a success.
For Spring 2024, Daniel Lee showcased the collection with a lookbook, something high-fashion Twitter couldn’t get enough of during his time at Bottega Veneta, and he’s clearly stepping up. The collection features a certain Britishness that is automatically associated with the brand, but again, without using the classic check.
It’s giving English countryside descendants of aristocrats, traditional Scottish handmade chequered fabrics used for both you and your horse’s saddle and tailoring you could only find on Saville Row – which by the way, was a direct inspiration. The check takes on a new life in this collection, seen in greens, blues and greys. On some coats, trousers and shirts, Daniel Lee got wavy with it, transforming the straight lines into a squiggly pattern carefully placed to create a flared or accented effect.
It’s not a Spring collection without a hint of florals. We saw rose patterns on some white-on-green and green-on-white pieces like dresses, bags, jackets and a co-ord that Skepta’s stylist should get a hold off right now. There were also denim pieces, big fur hats, maxed-out houndstooth patterns and a whole load of trenches – mixing pieces you would see on your favourite rapper with historically-rich, traditional fabrics and motifs.
Maybe it’s the lack of hype around the collection, unlike the debut that was highly anticipated because, well, it’s the debut, or maybe it’s a comfortability at the brand that Lee has found. Whatever it is, Burberry’s Spring 2024 collection feels like that missing piece of the puzzle to understand Lee’s vision.
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