Daniel Lee Celebrates British Culture in His Debut as Burberry’s New Creative Director

With London Fashion Week around the corner, all eyes are on Daniel Lee, the ex-Bottega Veneta designer who is now Burberry’s newest creative designer and visionary. 

In the contemporary fashion world, changing a new creative director means a clean sweep of all social accounts and, most of the time, a complete brand transformation. In Burberry’s case, an ode to inject and bring back British Heritage to the brand. 

Through the launch brand’s Spring/Summer 2023 campaign, the Yorkshire-born designer’s plans are made clear, in which he plans to steer the brand back to its British roots and revert to what it means to be a brand that is synonymous with being the symbol of British fashion. 

The campaign has been carefully curated by Lee, whereby every detail acts as a pillar of British heritage. Amongst a logo and font change, the most obvious symbol of ‘Britishness’ is the talent he chose, some of Britain’s most celebrated icons such as grime musicians Skepta and Shygirl, footballer Raheem Sterling, model Lennon Gallagher and actress Vanessa Redgrave. London-born Tyrone Lebon photographed the campaign in popular London locations such as Trafalgar Square, Tower Bridge, the Houses of Parliament and Albert Bridge, whilst both Sterling and Skepta are depicted holding England’s national flower, a rose.

Although this was not the first time Burberry has chosen to link up with globally renowned artists and footballers for their campaigns, the combination of all visual components and changes that Daniel Lee has brought to life in his first creative debut clearly indicates his desire to merge together the past and future. By selecting these specific talents, we can deduce that the designer hopes to widen the scope of his market and appeal to the younger generation of Burberry clients. Collaborating with icons like Skepta and Raheem Sterling allows Lee to target different areas of important British cultures, such as the Grime music scene and Football — two quintessentially British favourites. 

Only time can tell what a Daniel Lee gentrified Burberry will entail, but for now, his notoriety as a master rebranded during his time at Bodega Veneta, will only signify that bold moves will most likely be made in reshaping Burberry’s brand identity and design.