The Fall of Burberry

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It’s a tough time for Burberry, the iconic British luxury brand! After a global sales decline and its removal from the prestigious FTSE100 index, all eyes were on London Fashion Week to see the Spring-Summer 2025 collection. The suspense was palpable: would Burberry manage to bounce back or sink further?

Spoiler: even though the brand is going through turbulent times, it still has some heavyweight fans, like Zendaya, who wore one of the new collection’s outfits at the National Theatre in London for the promotion of Dune 2. We’ll tell you all about this free fall (but stylish) of the icon with the legendary tartan!

Burberry: an iconic English brand!

Since its inception in 1856, (yes, the luxury house isn’t young anymore as it boasts 168 years under its belt!) Burberry has established itself as an emblematic house of British luxury, globally known for its legendary trench coat and its beige tartan print with black, red, and white checks. It is the only English luxury brand and it embodies British elegance!

The arrival of Daniel Lee as artistic director in 2022, succeeding Riccardo Tisci, aimed to modernize the brand while keeping its DNA intact. His mission at Burberry? To reinterpret the house’s heritage while infusing a contemporary, even avant-garde spirit through the collections.

Burberry’s Numbers

To better understand Burberry’s situation and the brand’s future, we need to take a look at some numbers:

• Burberry exited the FTSE100 index this month for the first time in fifteen years, according to Fashion Network. Shares fell by more than 75%, a sad record since the last drop in April 2023. 
• The company, which employs 9,169 people, may cut 400 jobs to offset the loss of revenue.
• In a recent report, Burberry announced a 23% loss in its revenue in Asia compared to last year, including a 21% drop in China and a 23% drop in the USA.

The New Burberry Collection 2025 at London Fashion Week

Unfortunately, the latest collection is unlikely to boost sales! Presented at London Fashion Week, the Spring-Summer 2025 collection was a resounding flop. At a time when Burberry could not afford any bad publicity, the show failed to captivate the audience.

Criticized for its lack of coherence and creativity, the collection disappointed with its absence of avant-garde and modernity. The combinations, such as those between dress and coat or trench and feathers, seemed superficial and uninspired.

Although Daniel Lee revisited the brand’s great classics, including the famous trench coat, an iconic piece of Burberry, by introducing new materials, the spark was missing. The show ended on a disappointing note, leaving an audience, to say the least, perplexed and not overly enthusiastic.

featured image: Burberry runway, Spring-Summer 2025