Burberry presents menswear-focused collection during LFW

Riccardo Tisci showcased his first menswear-focused collection for Burberry during London Fashion Week with a presentation from within its flagship on Regent Street store in London, reconfigured as a wandering terrain.

The autumn/winter 2021 menswear collection “gently challenges and subtly reinvents traditions, inviting freedom of expression,” explains Burberry, taking inspiration from connecting with the outdoors.

Burberry chief creative officer, Riccardo Tisci, said of the collection in the show notes: “For my first Burberry menswear-focused collection, I wanted to celebrate the freedom of expression. Enclosed indoors, I dreamt of the outdoors and its beauty, fuelled by the thought of the creativity that comes when we are together.

“With this dream in mind, I became fascinated by the widespread British craft and outdoor movements of the early 20th Century, when people escaped to explore the unknown countryside. They formed communities with a deep respect for nature and the outdoors and looked forward to a future full of possibility. I was not only drawn to the artistry of their craft, colours and shapes, but also to their strong sense of camaraderie and friendship.”

LFW AW21: Burberry menswear ‘Escapes’ collection

Burberry explains that the clothes for autumn/winter 2021 have been “engineered to reflect motion and activity” with pleats, panels and fringes, and layered pieces “morph unexpectedly on the body”.

Tailoring has been given a sense of twisted classicism, with a slim-fit tailored jacket featuring exaggerated lapels, worn with split tailored shorts over metallic mesh cycling shorts. While panel details transform an English-fit suit in wool ramie, and classic-fit trousers and tailored shorts in grain de poudre wool, alongside pleated dresses and skirts.

Outerwear is key throughout the collection with reconstructed varsity jackets featured in plongé leather and cotton cashmere with ‘B’ insignias, and duffle coats given a modern update with striped wool and tactile faux-fur fabrications, cropped silhouettes, bullion fringing, and exaggerated reconstructed pockets.

The Burberry trench is evolving for autumn/winter with the iconic look combined with the Harrington jacket, long at the front and short at the back. There was also a modern juxtaposition across knitwear and outerwear with the V-neck of a sweater seen on a trench coat, while a double-breasted panelled is present on a jumper.

The Burberry animal kingdom, a signature house code, is once again revisited through prints and shapes, as a “nod to the wilderness and the creatures within”. Deer motifs inspire the silhouettes of knitted beanies, while boots and sneakers on moulded soles have been sculpted to resemble hooves and even hoods on the shaggy coats have ears.

Accessories featured over-sized totes slung over shoulders, seen in faux fur, leather and the Thomas Burberry Monogram print, and new iterations of the Pocket Bag family made their debut, including a leather bum bag and backpack for wanderers, carrying umbrellas and picnic blankets. Scarves were styled as belts, large whistles adorn zips and leather-clad carabiner charms, and lambskin bear-motif charms embossed with a logo graphic were attached to bags.

There is also a tonal and rich colour palette, with Burberry beige, bark brown, oxblood burgundy, and city greys, seen alongside shades of pale blue and pink.

Tisci, said: “This collection is an homage to the relationship between humanity and nature, where we can break free and come together to discover new forms of expression. It’s for those who are defining their own path, whose strength and energy have inspired this Burberry collection.”

While females were included in the presentation, Burberry added that each of the models was wearing menswear products.

The presentation also sees Tisci collaborating with British music supervisor, composer and arranger, Bridget Samuels, as the executive music producer for the autumn/winter 2021 menswear presentation soundtrack. Tisci and Samuels commissioned British composer and multi-instrumentalist, Peter Gregson, to create a reworking of his composition ‘Sequence (Four)’ exclusively for the presentation.

Images: courtesy of Burberry