Handout
Burberry is taking a more instinctive and human approach for Summer 2027, with chief creative officer Daniel Lee turning to British textile artist Celia Birtwell and her distinctive prints for the season.
Describing the collection as “a return to the basis of things,” Lee said he wanted to create something “instinctive,” “felt” and “true.”
Birtwell, whose colorful prints helped define the look of the 1960s and ’70s, brings a playful sensibility to Burberry’s traditional codes. The house check is reworked into gingham and stripes, while florals and expressive faces appear across clothing and accessories.
“You can really feel the human hand in it,” Lee said. “In the check, in the lines.”
The collection embraces a relaxed, lived-in aesthetic, with washed silk and cotton, softened fabrics and silhouettes designed to look as though they have been worn and loved. Womenswear features airy dresses, embroidered trench coats and playful prints, while menswear takes a youthful approach to tailoring with shorter, looser proportions.
Burberry’s heritage outerwear is also reinterpreted. Trench coats appear in lightweight fabrics and new proportions, while trompe l’oeil details such as belts, cargo pockets and epaulettes are rendered through embroidery.
Accessories continue the collection’s mix of heritage and craftsmanship. The equestrian-inspired Derby bag is finished with sequined stripes and hand-finished florals, while the Sloane bag features woven leather checks.
The collection’s color palette ranges from neutral tones to brighter shades of orange, pink, yellow, apple green and blue, with Birtwell’s prints providing much of the visual impact.
The Summer 2027 collection was presented at Chelsea College of Arts in London, where a restrained setting, wooden seating and a soundtrack drawn from four decades of David Bowie music complemented the collection’s emphasis on individuality and experimentation.
Rather than presenting a uniform vision, Burberry said the casting was intended to emphasize the individuality of each model — a fitting reflection of a collection built around imperfection, craftsmanship and personal expression.