Burberry takes AW20 show to Shanghai amid continued China push

Burberry has announced it will be taking its upcoming autumn-winter 2020 runway show to Shangai, China on 23 April.

The British luxury brand said the men’s and women’s show will be part of a wider dedicated programme of activities in China and will include looks specifically designed for the event and exclusively available to purchase in the Chinese market.

The company said the market is a key focus this year - it began 2020 with a Chinese New Year campaign and a limited-edition capsule heralding “joy, health and happiness” in the Year of the Rat, shortly followed by the launch of a Lunar New Year online game, Ratberry.

Burberry continues China focus

Additionally, Burberry will be opening a social retail store in Shenzhen Bay in the first half of 2020 as part of an exclusive partnership with Chinese technology powerhouse Tencent. The store aims to “blend social media and retail” and will offer unique experiences connecting luxury consumers’ social and online lives to their physical environments, allowing them enabling them to interact, share and shop.

Commenting on the announcement in a statement, Burberry CEO Marco Gobbetti, said: “Over the next 12 months we will be focusing our communications on the highest visibility touchpoints to deepen the emotional connection we are building with luxury consumers. We want to continually inspire our customers. The show is the latest in a series of exciting events we have planned this year in China, one of our most important markets, as we set out on the next phase of our transformation.”

As of 28 September 2019, Burberry had 223 retail stores globally, 148 concessions, 52 outlets and 44 franchise stores, with 61 stores in China.

Riccardo Tisci, chief creative officer, said: “My first years at Burberry were focused on establishing and defining my new identity for the house. Now we are ready to take this vision outside of London in new and exciting ways. Doing a show in China is a first for me. It’s a country that has always been so supportive of me and the moment will be a culmination of everything the teams and I have been working towards since I first started. It will be a celebration of our collections and our new attitude in one of the most innovative and inspiring cities in the world.”

Photo courtesy of the brand