Change is afoot at Burberry. Since 2018, the British heritage brand’s Chief Creative Officer Riccardo Tisci has been reimagining the label with the goal of finessing its high-end luxury status. Working closely with CEO Marco Gobbetti, who recently announced he’ll be stepping down from his role at the end of the year, Tisci has revamped Burberry’s aesthetic image. From a logo rebrand by Peter Saville to a CGI campaign with Nick Knight and Tom Wandrag, Tisci’s collections have modernized house codes and staples such as the trench coat, whilst also setting a more conceptual agenda, as seen in the S/S 22 menswear collection. Now, Burberry debuts its new flagship store at No.1 Sloane Street, London, inviting the world to experience the Burberry universe afresh.
Despite the digital race towards virtual living and surge in online shopping during the pandemic, placing a focus on real-life stores remains a priority for luxury big dogs like Burberry. In 2020, the brand opened a hybrid physical-digital store in Shenzhen, China, to cater to local shoppers as the country slowly reopened ahead of the West. As stores worldwide begin inviting shoppers back in, brands must be mindful of where they’re placing their bets on consumers making a physical trip to the store after months of placing orders online. The new Burberry flagship offers a unique shopping experience, telling the stories behind the brand’s latest collections and drops such as the signature Olympia and TB bags to entice visitors back to the physical.
Designed with the renowned architect Vincenzo De Cotiis, the store merges Burberry’s past, present and future. Architecture references British classicism and brutalism, whilst the Burberry house check can be found throughout the space, such as on mirrored lighting grids in the ceiling. A dedicated area on the ground floor spotlights the trench coat made from gabardine, which the brand’s founder Thomas Burberry invented in 1879. Head upstairs to womenswear and menswear, and you’ll find sculptural furniture, seating and fixtures, in a space that offers the ultimate luxury experience.