Daniel Lee has been appointed to the position of chief creative officer of Burberry. Following many months of rumours and conjecture, the news was finally confirmed less than forty-eight hours after a fashion presentation by the Italian designer Riccardo Tisci. The exhibition included a collection that turned out to be his last for the British luxury label.
The selection of a British designer to the head of Britain’s greatest luxury brand by sales was announced on Wednesday, and it represents the return of a British designer to the position. For the fiscal year that concluded on April 2nd, the corporation generated 2.8 billion pounds in sales, which is equivalent to $3 billion today. It is also the most significant modification to the home since Jonathan Akeroyd took over as chief executive officer of the company.
Mr. Lee, who is now 36 years old, most recently served as the creative director of Bottega Veneta from 2018 until 2021. His sudden departure from the Italian label that he had converted into a success machine stunned the fashion industry and raised eyebrows. His appointment comes as Burberry looks to reposition itself following the muted success under Mr. Tisci and its former chief executive.
According to a statement released by the business, Mr. Lee, who was born in Bradford, which is located in the north of England, will begin working for Burberry on Monday and will be responsible for overseeing all Burberry collections. In February, at London Fashion Week, he will make his debut with Burberry by presenting his first collection for the brand on the runway.
Mr. Lee, who has also worked at Maison Margiela, Balenciaga, Donna Karan, and Celine, went from being a relative unknown to an industry superstar in less than three years at Bottega Veneta, garnering critical acclaim and industry awards in the process. Mr. Lee has also worked at Maison Margiela, Balenciaga, Donna Karan, and Celine. His fashionable shoe and handbag designs, such as a leather pouch and square-toe woven pump, were responsible for the explosion in sales that he brought about. Behind the scenes, however, rumours were constantly being spread about the methods he used in his job. This was the case despite his ability to generate financial success. There was a substantial employee turnover, and he departed the Italian label in November of last year without providing a reason for his departure.
After nearly five years at Burberry, Mr. Tisci, who succeeded Christopher Bailey as creative director of the company, has decided to leave his position there. During his tenure, he worked to modernise the company’s products and brand and to attract younger and more varied consumers. Burberry never quite achieved the heights that fans and investors alike had hoped for, or that Mr. Tisci was able to produce at his previous position at Givenchy due to skyrocketing pricing and designs that were sleek but soulless. Burberry has also lost the connection to its British past, which had previously differentiated the company from every other big luxury brand.
After learning of the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, he decided to push back the debut of his spring collection, which was scheduled to take place during London Fashion Week. Instead, the event was held on Monday, which required a significant portion of the fashion industry to return from the shows in Milan and Paris in order to participate in a presentation that had a notably solemn tone.
Since his arrival earlier this year, Mr. Akeroyd has been quite open about his intention to place a larger focus on Burberry’s Britishness. Prior to joining Burberry, he served as chief executive officer of both Versace and Alexander McQueen. And Mr. Lee is widely regarded as one of the most promising young designers to emerge from the United Kingdom.
