British fashion giant Burberry Prorsum put the
sparkle into London Fashion Week Monday, before Scottish designer
Christopher
Kane took his star-studded audience on a journey into the bizarre.
Burberry chief executive Christopher Bailey said the collection, which will
be drip fed into stores from June, was inspired by a “patchwork” of
influences.
Recurring themes included cashmere overcoats with military style epaulettes
and brass buttons, brushed mohair checked coats and dazzling mini-dresses
with
hand-stitched sequins in floral patterns and psychedelic swirls.
“The collection is all the things that I love, a patchwork of all different
things from the Mitford sisters to the military and a little bit of
glam-rock,” Bailey told reporters back stage after the show, referring to
six
sisters who fascinated and scandalised British society of the 1930s.
Shares in the luxury label have fallen by 30 percent from their peak, hit
by falling demand in China. Bailey said he hoped the latest collection,
which is designed for wear all year-round, will tap into other emerging
international markets.
“This is a collection of clothes that will be delivered in stores in very
hot climates and very cold climates,” he said. “You’ve got big, heavy
cashmere
coats and you’ve also got very light dresses.”
A video posted by Burberry (@burberry) on Feb 22, 2016 at 3:12pm PST
The collection is already available on pre-order and the one shown at the
next London Fashion Week in September can be bought immediately following
the
show and will combine menswear and womenswear.“It feels like the fashion industry is supposed to embrace change and this
format shows you can evolve and change,” Bailey said.Indie inspiration
Among other items on show before an audience which included Naomi
Campbell
and X-Men actor Nicholas Hoult were pleated skirts, green glossy python
coats,
fur-trimmed leather jackets and iridescent lamé dresses.The show was soundtracked by a live performance from British
singer/songwriter Jake Bugg, and the indie look inspired the menswear
section
as the label prepares to merge its collections.Bailey delivered tracksuit tops with exaggerated full-zipper collars, and
combined tracksuit trousers with blazers and skinny ties.
While Burberry trumpeted innovation from the boardroom, Scottish designer
Christopher Kane delivered innovation on the catwalk during his show at the
cavernous Turbine Hall in London’s Tate Modern Museum.Samantha Cameron, wife of prime minister David Cameron, had a front-row
seat as Kane, renowned for his use of unusual materials, produced a
collection
based on the “notion of lost and found”.Items included camel-coloured coats made from corrugated cardboard, rain
bonnets resembling discarded plastic carrier bags, decaying woolly jumpers
barely held together with metal pins and dresses that trailed into
individual,
fraying strips.Earthy tones, deep reds and greys dominated the palette, harshly
interrupted by one shocking orange creation.
“The unconventional, transformative journey of the Christopher Kane girl
continues… in a collection that celebrates the lost and found,” Kane wrote
in his introduction to the collection.“The discarded detritus of glamour is accumulated and elevated to new
heights,” added the designer, who won Britain’s “dress of the year” in 2013.
London Fashion Week is due to wrap up on Tuesday. ( James Pheby, AFP)Photos: AFP