Burberry's unfinished change with Daniel Lee Can you replicate a miracle?

Among the events of London Fashion Week, Daniele Lee's debut as creative director of Burberry was certainly the most talked about: insiders were curious to see how the Bradford-born designer would reinterpret the heritage of the English maison. Indeed, as the show began, all the makings of a promising reinterpretation of the archive were in place - from the debut of a new logo reminiscent of the "Prorsum" graphics from Christopher Bailey's time to a host of big names for his first campaign, including Shygirl, Skepta and John Glacier - what was perhaps missing was the full realization of these premises on the catwalk. A riot of check prints, the atmosphere of a rainy London, hunting clothes, and many, perhaps too many, looks, Burberry's FW23 was an exploration of British heritage and identity in times of trouble, but expectations were perhaps too high. One wonders if Lee will be able to repeat the Bottega phenomenon during his tenure by boosting the fortunes of a brand that is very underpowered in terms of hype, or if miracles only happen once.

The result of a mix of feathers, tartans, earthy colors, and bold volumes is a biting maximalism in search of direction. The change is there and it is obvious compared to Tisci's work, but the result still seems too confusing to give us a definite idea of the new course envisioned by Lee. Perhaps the time is not ripe, or perhaps expectations are too high. After all, Lee was the designer who turned Bottega Veneta from a dusty traditional brand into a luxury giant loved by fashion critics and copied by fast fashion chains. Can Burberry inspire the same desire? Only time will tell.