With a Spring/Summer 2025 collection reinventing the iconic trench coat with a streetwear edge, English designer Daniel Lee brought a breath of fresh air on Monday to fashion giant Burberry, hit by financial troubles. The designer, who has been at the creative helm of Burberry for the past two years, departed from the tradition of setting the London Fashion Week show in a tent pitched in the heart of a park, opting for the concrete of the brutalist National Theatre building instead. For the venue's scenography, the creative director called on British artist Gary Hume, who redecorated the building's foyer, inspired by one of his installations from the 1990s.
Lilac carpeting and large green sheets pierced with geometric patterns added colour between the grey concrete pillars. Under the eyes of celebrities -- Vogue USA editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, actor Barry Keoghan, Blur singer Damon Albarn and recent Paris gold medallist Keely Hodgkinson -- the models entered from one of the building's massive staircases. The classics that make up the British brand's DNA were still there: the trench coat with turned-up collar for men, tartan in shades of grey, beige or cream, and carefully structured outlines.
But even "Burberry icons evolve", wrote Daniel Lee in his note of intent, as "trench elements are deconstructed and realised in fabrics that feel light: silk poplin and linen". For women, the designer remade the trench as a cropped jacket, a halter cape or a parka with shoulders covere.