Daniel Lee Takes Burberry on a Summer Adventure

The culmination of the London Fashion Week, Daniel Lee’s show for Burberry for Spring-Summer 2025, presented at the National Theater on Monday afternoon, was an invitation on a fashion adventure inspired by the colour palette of the British artist Gary Hume. Here, all you need to know about the collection.

JOY AND LIGHTNESS

This season, Daniel Lee wanted his designs to feel joyful, thus a colour palette mixing the classic for Burberry earthy neutral tones with brighter and playful shades - think lilac, menthol, carrot orange and bellflower purple. Endlessly elegant yet eye-catching statement shirts with extra-large bows were omnipresent in the collection. Lee also added dresses and tops in sequins for those party weekends and endless music days at the Glastonbury festival. And in case it rains, Lee proposes to top off the glamorous looks with cropped raincoats and oversized parkas. Springtime means flowers, so he adorned overcoats with daisy patterns. The signature trench coats were also lighter than usual: crafted from silk poplin and linen, they look relaxed yet functional. “There is a lightness in the collection; textures, shapes and colours that feel calming. A sense of joy was important for us, for people to feel good when they see and wear the clothes,” the designer explained backstage.

THE NEW CHECKS

“I really like the check,” Lee said. “I want to treat it as one of the most precious elements of the house, in the way that the trench is.” And so he did, placing it all over the collection: on trousers, shorts, shirts, inside part of the best-selling raincoats and bags.

WHY GARY HUME?

The original colourful set design for the show at the National Theater was created by English artist Gary Hume, whose new solo exhibition “Mirrors and Other Creatures” is currently on view at Sprüth Magers in Mayfair, London. “Working with Gary has been amazing. I have been so inspired by his thought process; his use of colour, shapes, and the emotion behind his works. It has been so important in designing this collection,” Daniel Lee shared the story behind this unique collaboration backstage. “We came across an installation by Gary titled ‘Bays’ from an exhibition in 1990. These pieces were made out of tarpaulin, cut and draped. The connection between Gary’s work and Burberry made sense. The materiality – it’s functional and protective.”​ ​ ​ ​​

WHAT’S NEXT?

Amid ongoing rumors that Daniel Lee will be leaving Burberry before the end of the year, the designer reassured the fashion editors backstage that he is planning to stay at the iconic British house and that his collaboration with the new CEO Joshua Shulman is productive and could bring the brand to the new heights, praising his “American optimism, drive and positivity”. Given that the fashion whistleblowers are often right, this statement could be also considered as an open message that Lee prefers to stay in London, and he is still under negotiations to prolong his contract.

Courtesy: Burberry

Text: Lidia Ageeva