Burberry celebrates its heritage in check with pre-SS21 collection

Burberry chief creative officer Riccardo Tisci continues to revisit the British luxury house's heritage design codes with a pre-SS21 collection that celebrates its signature check.

Other motifs explored in the collection, which references founder Thomas Buberry's love for the outdoors, include stripes and the unicorn symbol, along with roses and a new graffiti print.

To mark the launch the models featured in the look book, who were all drawn from the Burberry "community", were shot outside of their homes in London. 

"This season, I wanted to draw upon the familiar, the things that bring us comfort and strength. I returned to what first inspired me in the Burberry heritage house codes, like the check, iconic stripes and unicorn emblems, but revisited them with a new perspective, incorporating elements of both sophistication and street through the lens of the outdoors.

"England has some of the most beautiful antique gardens, so I really wanted to weave roses as a print throughout the collection. For the lookbook, I called upon the incredible talent at Burberry to open their doors and be a part of this journey – each interpreting the looks in their own unique way outside in the landscapes of London and beyond.

"I am so proud of this collection which not only reflects and celebrates the unique codes that make the house, but also the diversity of talent that represents our Burberry community, bringing the magic of the Burberry world to life," Tisci said.

Key looks for women include trench coat with feature logo prints and oversized bellow pockets, and a car coat reworked in organic cotton gabardine with bellow pockets and a detachable warmer. New motifs include a graffitied love print, which Tisci says celebrates "the power of connection", on a vintage check shirt, and varsity graphic appliqués on a striped wool barn jacket and satin bomber, styled with wool gabardine longline shorts.

Tailoring features patchwork plaids while a houndstooth check wool suit is cinched with knitted sports stripes. English roses features on a silk crepe de chine puff-sleeve shirt dress with exaggerated cuffs, and wool tailored trousers. The unicorn-print silk crepe de chine comes on a shirt and pleated skirt with logo details.

For men seasonal checks feature on a soft fawn wool double-breasted jacket and trousers, a classic-fit suit in charcoal wool with globe graphic buttons, and a birch brown wool tailored jacket and trousers – styled with an orange vintage check love-print shirt.

The Westminster Heritage Trench Coat is styled with a reconstructed hoodie with a scarf detail and drawcord shorts. Outerwear also includes a logo-print car coat and Barn jackets reworked with diamond quilting and stripes or varsity graphic appliqués.

Checks also appear on a bright yellow cashmere sweater with a funnel-neck which is contrasted with archive beige check drawcord shorts.

In bags, new styles, the Pocket tote and the Soft Cube, are evolutions of classic Burberry styles coming in a Horseferry print and quilted lambskin respectively. The Basket bag features in striped wool, alongside a floral-print e-canvas Beach Tote. The Olympia bag returns in black lambskin and a new pouch style in vintage check and quilted lambskin.

Footwear includes sculptural leather pumps and sandals with wraparound ankle straps and chain-link details for women and logo-print leather sandals and the Arthur sneaker in gingham and Monogram print for men.

Burberry has said it will be showing its SS21 on 17 September in an outdoor presentation that can also be experienced digitally.