Burberry celebrates Mother Nature with AW21 collection entitled Femininity

Burberry unveiled Riccardo Tisci's AW21 collection at a digital show set within its flagship Regent Street store in London today, during which the designer paid homage to Mother Nature with a collection entitled Femininity.

Tisci said he was inspired by his Italian mother and eight sisters when designing the collection, which drew on one of Burberry's key house codes, the animal kingdom.

"Throughout my life, my mother has been this incredible force of nature. As a single parent, she raised me and my eight sisters with unfaltering purpose and pride. So, naturally, I have always been drawn to strong women and, in turn, they have also given me the confidence to express my own femininity. They are not afraid to challenge expectations and I have always been in such awe of their determination. They are warriors.

"I wanted this collection to feel truly emblematic of the power of feminine energy: a modern armour that captures its characteristic fierce aura. There’s an underlying attitude to the collection that’s very British; of being unique, eccentric and totally authentic in how you express yourself.

"This presentation is a love letter to women and a celebration of their incomparable strength," Tisci said.

THE COLLECTION

A return to the animal kingdom, a Burberry house code. Trompe l’oeil prints and tactile faux furs. The trench coat in bonded faux fur and leather, photographic fox print wool, and geometric intarsia. Reconstructed duffle coats in faux mink and curly shearling. Unexpected adornment on hoods, and exaggerated pelt fringing. Faux fur embroidered into the caped silhouette of a dress, and the paneling of tailored shorts. Fluttering cape-sleeve dresses in colour block and animal print, and fluid unlined outerwear. Flag intarsias on silk satin and tulle skirts, and reconstructed silhouettes with geometric panels and prints.

British tailoring classics are renewed with fresh purpose and confidence. A sharp-shouldered boxy blazer; tapered trousers with cut-out cuffs; and fringed and panelled longline shorts. The Burberry cape finds new expression, silhouetting the shoulders in magnified check cashmere, and spliced with a tailored jacket. A gleaming gold lamé trench coat with eyelet fringing, and draped silhouettes illuminated with hundreds of lightcatching paillettes – evoking the colour and patina of the sun; the strength of feminine energy.

BAGS

A sense of fluidity inspires the new Flag bag, a soft tote with metallic embroidered fringing – presented in paillette-adorned silk, and smooth lambskin annotated with the house founder’s initials. The Olympia collection evolves with fresh iterations – an Olympia scarf tote and clutch. The supersized messenger bag, introduced in the Autumn/Winter 2021 menswear presentation, returns in faux fur and shearling, inspired by the animal kingdom.

SHOES

Second-skin sock boots in stretch tulle with a spectrum of sculptural heels – in bright multicolour, vintage check, a flocked Monogram, and with heart motifs. Soles are playfully moulded to resemble deer hooves.

ACCESSORIES

New wraparound eyewear – evolved from a sports-influenced frame – in injected nylon with a graphic gold-plated brow bar. Bells, bolts and resin pearls punctuate rings and earrings. A series of bold headwear silhouettes (or warrior-inspired headwear) in faux fur, lambskin and paillette-embellished satin.

KEY PRINTS

Trompe l’oeil mink, shearling and fox fur prints, and elemental artworks in geometric colour block with stars.

KEY COLOURS

Green, soft fawn, camel, beige, copper, pecan brown, black, and saffron. Bright inflections in a rainbow of red, gold, orange, pink and tulip yellow.