Riccardo Tisci makes controversial design debut for Burberry

When Riccardo Tisci was named new Chief Creative Officer of British luxury label, Burberry back in March, fans were curious to see the edge he would breathe into the classic label. Yesterday at LFW, Riccardo Tisci made his controversial design debut for Burberry.

The edginess of Givenchy was aways a stark contrast to that of Burberry so when Riccardo Tisci was named as Chief Creative Officer, fans were curious to see what he would bring to the label. Yesterday, Riccardo's Burberry collection debuted at London Fashion Week to mixed reveiews.

The 134-look runway show merged Tisci’s own unique aesthetics with the Burberry brand’s century old heritage in a muted palette of beige, black, red, coral, and mint. Whilst some saw at as a step in a very modern direction for the quintessentially British label, others saw the collection as incongruent with the essence of Burberry.

Whilst there were hints of classic Burberry with plaid silk shirts and chic pleated skirts, Riccardo also through in modern elements which seemed a little out of place on the runway. One outfit in particular of a cowhide mini skirt with a t-shirt that quite literally said 'cow', left spectators scratching their heads.

According to Vogue magazine who called the portion of the show 'counter-culture':

If the show started ladylike, it didn’t stay that way for long. Somewhere in the middle, the tenor changed with a lineup of looks that seemed to nod to Tisci’s time studying at Central Saint Martins in the ’90s.

Ushered in by a model with a peroxide pixie cut and lug-soled Mary Janes, this stretch of the show had a decidedly more youthful slant, all mixed-print dresses, lacy slips, and graphic tees. The most punk reference of all? A white tee that simply read God in script at the neck.

Overall, the extensive debut was a mixed bag. Though Tisci has tried to retain the unique elements of Burberry with the colour palette, the plaid and the trenches, he undoubtedly put his own spin on it which did not always pay off. Change is never easy and perhaps this new era of Burberry will simply take some getting used to. Burberry as we know it no longer exists and as the Guardian so rightly said 'The changing of the guard at Burberry is the most significant reshuffle to happen to British fashion in years. Burberry is the biggest, most powerful, homegrown fashion brand, which means its new designer has the power to change the weather over the whole of the UK fashion landscape.'

Only time will tell.

It has been announced that Riccardo Tisci, who was at the helm of Givenchy for 12 years , will be the new Chief Creative Officer at luxury British label, Burberry.

In an Instagram post, the designer announced:

‘I am honoured and delighted to be joining Burberry as its new Chief Creative Officer and reuniting with Marco Gobbetti. I have an enormous respect for Burberry’s British heritage ad global appeal and I am excited about the potential of this exceptional brand”

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Riccardo bid a heartfelt goodbye toat the beginning of February and on the official Instagram account, the label posted:

“Riccardo Tisci’s vision that led to a very successful twelve-year partnership. We warmly thank him for his outstanding contribution to our beautiful ongoing story ❤”

This is an exciting new chapter for Riccardo and Burberry both and we cannot wait to see what the partnership produces.

Congratulations!