Burberry Changes Fashion-Show Model

BURBERRY has become the first major brand to announce changes to its current fashion-show model. The British fashion house revealed today that it intends to amalgamate its womenswear and menswear shows as of September this year into two annual shows, the items from which will be available to purchase immediately in store and online after the catwalk show finishes.
"The changes we are making will allow us to build a closer connection between the experience that we create with our runway shows and the moment when people can physically explore the collections for themselves," Burberry's chief creative and chief executive officer,Christopher Bailey, told WWD. "Our shows have been evolving to close this gap for some time. From live-streams, to ordering straight from the runway, to live social media campaigns, this is the latest step in a creative process that will continue to evolve."
Bailey revealed that by creating seasonless collections, it will clear up any confusion for the Burberry customer, meaning they can buy what they want, when they want, wherever they are in the world - and in the process make it easier for his own team's workload.
"I told the teams that we can't expect a customer to understand our timings because, I mean, it's silly, which is why we did runway made-to-order collections," Bailey continued. "You can't talk to a 
customer and say, 'We're really excited, we're going to stimulate you and inspire you, but you can't touch it or feel it for another six months.' In fashion we talk about 'a moment', and what feels right for the moment. And I've always battled with that because the moment is when you're showing it, but then you've got to kind of say is it the right moment five or six months down the line?"

Burberry's announcement comes as the fashion industry is facing a major shake-up following similar announcements by New York brands Thakoon and Rebecca Minkoff, as well as the CFDA's announcement that it has hired Boston Consulting Group to look at the different options designers have to make their fashion shows more consumer facing. Other designers - most notably Thomas Tait, Tom Ford and Matthew Williamson - have also changed the way they operate in the last year when it comes to showing their collections, with no doubt more to follow suit following Burberry's big news.