The British house is the latest brand to announce its plan for showing a collection later this year, hosting a show in September with no physical audience which will be available to stream online
Since the outbreak of coronavirus and the ensuing lockdowns across the world, the future of the fashion show – which traditionally relies on attendees gathering en masse – has been called into question. The menswear shows, which would usually take place in June, were cancelled, while designers, houses and labels have begun to reveal how they will adapt to the changing landscape. Gucci will host just two physical shows a year (the first will likely not be until 2021), Saint Laurent will skip the usual schedule to work by its own calendar, while earlier this month London Fashion Week held its first digital edition, which was gender-neutral and collated collections, interviews, podcasts and film on an online platform.
The latest announcement comes courtesy of British house Burberry, which has announced it will be sticking to schedule and showing a new collection in September, when it would usually show as part of London Fashion Week. It will not be a typical fashion show, though: held on September 17, Burberry has called it “an immersive show experience set in the British outdoors” which will not have a physical audience and will be broadcast to the world, free to watch digitally.
Titled Back to Nature, the house has also announced that plans are being made to make the show as environmentally friendly as possible – with any emissions offset by Burberry’s Regeneration Fund. “As humans, we have always had a deep affinity to nature,” the house’s creative director, Riccardo Tisci said via a statement. “We have had to respect and rely upon its power for our very existence, whilst marvelling and revelling in its extraordinary beauty. Especially recently, we have all yearned to reconnect again and for this show, I wanted to celebrate these feelings by bringing our community together in a creative experience that takes place within the beautiful, natural landscape of Britain.”
Burberry’s Back to Nature show will take place on September 17, 2020.