Issue link: https://www.balharbourdigital.com/i/1525926
C O U R T E S Y O F B U R B E R R Y/ F I L I P P O F I O R /G O R U N WAY. C O M ode to the house's regional vocabulary, he celebrated Burberry's expertise in dealing with the temperamental British weather. Lee's creative vision for Burberry reinterprets the classic trench by introducing new textures and materials while never losing its iconic elements. He has used Thomas Burberry's original trench to inspire not only new coats, but also cargo pants and belted shirt dresses. These designs, especially the latter, feminize a traditionally masculine silhouette, blending heritage with today's desire for more androgynous styling. Honoring the brand's history of technical innovation, Lee pushes materials to do things they haven't dreamed of yet. He incorporated laser-cut daisy flowers into coats and flared pants made of suede with a water-repellent coating. For colder climates, Lee designed shearling coats and bomber jackets patchworked into a diagonal check motif, and aviator jackets with the Burberry name woven into the waistband. A cotton coat bonded with layers of technical fabric, and garment-dyed to give it a lived-in feel, embodies the rugged-yet-sophisticated Burberry spirit. Following on the muted kitten heels of quiet luxury, Lee has managed to restore a renewed excitement around British tailoring and its decades of references. This extends from his archive-researched collections to his selection of ambassadors like Naomi Campbell and Barry Keoghan. In this return to site-specificity and the trench coat's roots, Lee is educating a new generation on an enduring example of great design, and empowering them to make it their own. Reading between the lines, one finds oneself thinking less about nationalism or British identity than the idea of preparing for the storm. There is an optimism in Lee's approach to the trench coat that stretches back to Thomas Burberry—connecting more than 100 years of history. It is something about meeting discomfort with ingenuity and finding grace—and even, one can say, style—when confronting hostile environments. With global tensions mounting and climate catastrophe at what feels like an all-time high, now more than ever we need to find armor that enables us to feel good and powerful, even in the thick of it. There's an optimism in Daniel Lee's approach to the trench that stretches back to Thomas Burberry — connecting more than 100 years of history. New trench coat iterations by Daniel Lee at Burberry's Fall/ Winter 2024 show