Monday 25 June 2012

A-Z of British Style: B is for Burberry

Just a short decade ago, the brand Burberry was languishing in the depths of bad publicity. When Daniella Westbrook appeared wearing head-to-toe Burberry check, even co-ordinating her baby's pram with her outfit, it seemed that the brand would forever be worn by 'chavs' and scorned by fashionistas who were embarrassed to be associated with chav culture.

Burberry is famed for it's distinctive trench coat, invented by its founder Thomas Burberry

However Christopher Bailey - ex-Gucci designer - was appointed as creative director in 2001 and chief creative officer in 2009, and together with Burberry CEO Angela Ahrendts Bailey has transformed and modernised the heritage brand.

Watson and Redmayne in their respective campaigns

Burberry's marketing strategy has been to harness the joint powers of social media and celebrity culture: modelling stints from celebrities such as Emma Watson and Eddie Redmayne have exponentially improved Burberry's profile among the youth demographic both in the UK and abroad, and is considered one of the most successful fashion brands on sites such as Facebook (12 million 'likes'), Twitter (1 million followers), and Youtube (14 million views)

Burberry Prorsum A/W 2012 show finale
Today the cohesiveness of the brand has gone from strength to strength, something Ahrendts has credited to Bailey's consistent vision. This month Burberry has been one of the most expensive fashion companies on the FTSE 100, consistently outperforming similar companies: Burberry has now joined brands such as Louis Vuitton and Prada as a billion-pound fashion label, and analysts say that the brand will only continue to grow.

No comments:

Post a Comment