Burberry Is Collaborating With…Vivienne Westwood?

When it was announced Riccardo Tisci would be taking the reins at Burberry from the label’s long-time creative director Christopher Bailey, critics feared that Tisci’s distinct flavour of bad-boy gothic glam would not gel with the heritage brand’s conservative approach and reverence for tradition. And while Tisci’s first full collection for the brand has yet to debut, his first big move as creative director proves just the opposite.

Tisci revealed via his personal Instagram that Burberry will be collaborating with Vivienne Westwood, the legendary British designer responsible for creating the aesthetic of punk. The collaboration will consist of a limited-edition collection that melds subversive designs from Westwood’s archive with Burberry’s classic sensibility.

On first glance, Vivienne Westwood and Burberry are a rather odd pairing. Westwood once drew a safety pin through the Queen’s nose on a Sex Pistols t-shirt; Burberry has held a Royal Warrant since 1955. But on closer inspection, the move injects a welcome irreverence to Burberry’s brand. Both Westwood and Burberry are quintessentially British labels, and they come from the same place of understanding British history, though Westwood has consistently attempted to topple tradition while Burberry seeks to uphold it. One hopes the friction between their wildly different approaches will lead to riveting results.

In an official statement, Tisci said, “Vivienne Westwood was one of the first designers who made me dream to become a designer myself. She is a rebel, a punk and unrivalled in her unique representation of British style, which has inspired so many of us. When I first started at Burberry, I knew it would be the perfect opportunity to approach her to do something.”

The collaboration is set to launch in December 2018.

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