Burberry discards fashion seasons

Fashion label Burberry has decided it will alter the way it presents its collections. It will do 2 fashion shows every year, for both its men’s and women’s collections, with the items on sale directly afterwards.

Adapt to arrival of social media

Another change is that the collections will no longer focus on the typical fashion seasons, but will become seasonless, as Burberry’s creative director Christopher Bailey said. The only “tag” they will receive is either “February” or “September”, according to Business of Fashion. This should appeal to a wider audience, particularly in areas where the climate differs from that in the West.

The Burberry brand will become even more unified now, after the company already decided to transform all subsidiary brands, like Brit and London, into the Burberry brand.

The arrival of the social media is also an important reason for the choice, as fashion shows have become much more tangible for the general public compared to their rather exclusive nature in the past. Burberry aims to take advantage of the buzz surrounding a show to start selling the collection immediately after its first showing.

Change manufacturing process

The fashion company will also have to alter its manufacturing process to accommodate these changes. There was a lot of time between the fashion show and the actual start of sale, but these will be aligned now. Bailey says Burberry will need a more flexible manufacturing process, meaning designers will already communicate and collaborate with the manufacturers during the design process.