Alongside some exclusive photos of the cast, the house’s chief creative officer Riccardo Tisci opens up about his Autumn/Winter 2021 womenswear presentation and the women he chose to model in it
A love for women, and specifically strong women, has always been at the heart of what Riccardo Tisci does – and his latest collection for Burberry, revealed this afternoon via a digital presentation, is no exception.
Describing the event as “a love letter to women and celebration of their incomparable strength”, the Italian fashion designer, who has been at the helm of Burberry for nearly three years now, said he “wanted this collection to feel truly emblematic of the power of feminine energy: a modern armour that captures its characteristic fierce aura.” He goes on to credit his mother – who single handedly raised him and his eight sisters – with his love for strong women, calling them “warriors”.
The collection itself represents Tisci’s take on modern femininity – one that is imbued with a sense of pride, conviction and fluidity, as well as a sense of being “of being unique, eccentric and totally authentic in how you express yourself”, which the designer says is very British.
Styled by AnOther Magazine senior fashion editor-at-large Katy England, the clothes look to tradition, without being constrained by it; they are free and fluid; Burberry house codes, like animal print, and British tailoring classics, are rethought in a distinctly contemporary way – one that feels fresh and relevant to the times.
Naturally, the designer needed a cast that embodied this vision of a new, modern femininity and, speaking to AnOther, Tisci opens up about the women he chose to model this collection. “This presentation is all about powerful women,” he says. “The models who walk are so fierce and really make you feel the strength of feminine energy. They are models from all around the world and it was so interesting to see how they all became friends and how as a group of women they really wanted to collaborate together to make the presentation a success. Especially with everything going on in the world at the moment, it can sometimes be challenging to make things happen in our industry, but this experience really made me appreciate the power of humans and the energy we create when we come together.”
“What I really love is spending time in fittings chatting and really getting to know someone’s personality,” he continues. “It’s not just about their outer beauty but more about their emotions and energy – I need to meet them and fall in love with them.”
Walking out to an original spoken-word piece by British rapper Shygirl – who has worked with Arca, Sega Bodega and the late Sophie – the cast included a diverse group of models including Alma Corbic, Chai Maximus, Eugenia Dubinova and Felice Noordhoff, along with Hannah Motler, Jae Bagnall, Karo Laczkowska, and Liv Walters.
“This collection is all about creating a modern armour for women, so I wanted the models to feel like the most powerful versions of themselves when they walked out on the runway,” he concludes. “I think designing for Burberry I am always really drawn to that British attitude and style – that strong, eccentric mix of elegance and punk.”