‘An ode to escapism’: Burberry hits the beach with signature-check swimwear collection

‘An ode to escapism’ is how Burberry describes a new campaign, ‘Burberry Summer’, which sees the British house swap drizzly London streets for sun-soaked beaches and sailing yachts. 

Continuing a longstanding collaborative relationship between recently installed creative director Daniel Lee and British photographer Tyrone Lebon – who shot Lee’s first campaign for Burberry, starring Vanessa Redgrave, Shygirl and Skepta and released prior to his debut collection earlier this year – it celebrates the house’s summertime swim and beach collection.

‘Burberry Summer’ by Tyrone Lebon

Spanning bikinis, swimming shorts and trunks, bucket hats, tote bags, towels, dressing gowns, and even a life jacket, the Burberry check appears across the collection. The recognisable print was first introduced in the 1920s as the lining for the house’s signature trench coats, and was reinvigorated by former creative director Christopher Bailey in the 2000s. ‘The check takes centre stage,’ says the house.

The cast of models – including Alex Schlab, Angelina Kendall, Candace Demers, Ishmael Auguiste, Kaedon Baxter, Matheus Mesquita, Sophie Alice, Tess Carter and Tianna St Louis – feature in various summertime scenes in the Elysian images, whether towelling off on the deck of a boat, submerged in water or reclining on a sandcastle at nightfall.

An accompanying video, recalling vintage home movies, is soundtracked by Vegyn, a British music producer best known for his work with Frank Ocean.

The series of images continues Lee’s reinvention of the house, which began with a debut collection shown at London Fashion Week A/W 2023 in February. The colourful collection – which featured mallard prints and blanket-style motifs – was a nod towards Burberry’s history of adventure (the set recalled early 20th-century tents from the brand) as well as an ode to its home city of London.

 ‘You walk down the street and you’re surrounded by people from so many walks of life, all living together,’ he said after the show. ‘There is great music here, great theatre, great art. I want to shine a light on those things and show a positive side of Britain to the world. That’s something I missed in recent years and that’s what I’m trying to celebrate.’

Watch the film, featuring a soundtrack by Vegyn, below. 

burberry.com

A Burberry Summer - YouTube

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