Breaking news! Burberry has appointed Daniel Lee as its new chief creative officer, replacing Riccardo Tisci, who is stepping down after presenting his final runway show for the British luxury brand on Monday. The end of Tisci’s near five-year tenure follows the arrival of Jonathan Akeroyd as Burberry’s new chief executive earlier this year who is supposed to accelerate growth.
Riccardo Tisci with me
Tisci was the creative force behind former chief executive Marco Gobbetti‘s strategy to elevate the position of the 166-year-old brand in the luxury sector. His designs, many of which featured a new Thomas Burberry «TB» monogram, attracted a younger and more diverse community of customers to the brand.
Tisci’s last show for Burberry
Lee, who was creative director at Italy’s Bottega Veneta for three years until 2021, and who has previously worked at Celine, Maison Margiela, Balenciaga and Donna Karan, was a «new kid on the block» when he was named creative director of Kering’s Bottega Veneta at age 32 in 2018.
A funny coincidence is that Lee was born in Yorkshire where Burberry manufactures its famous trench coats, and he said that «he was honoured to join the fashion house and build on Tisci’s legacy.» During a three-year tenure at the house known for its leather-weaving techniques and logo-free products, Lee created must-have bags and shoes fashionistas around the globe raved about. He used ultra-touchable materials, unexpected proportions and bold colors to create products that rapidly turned around Bottega Veneta’s sales, which has been slipping for several years. However, after he left Bottega Veneta, rumors were that he was horrible to work with and treated his colleagues not in a nice way. Of course, this is only a rumor and nobody officially addressed it.
Some of Lee’s designs for Bottega Veneta
The brand stated in a press release: «Bottega Veneta and Daniel Lee are announcing their joint decision to end their collaboration.» «I am very grateful to Daniel for having brought his passion and energy to Bottega Veneta,» said Kering’s CEO Francois-Henri Pinault in the release. «His singular vision made the House’s heritage relevant for today and put it back to the center of the fashion scene.»
No matter what Lee does or did, his designs are amazing and this is what counts. I cannot wait to see what his vision is for Burberry!
LoL, Sandra
Photos: © Bottega Veneta, © Burberry and © Sandra Bauknecht
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