Burberry Spring 2023 Ad Campaign Review

Review of Burberry 2023 Ad Campaign by Creative Director Daniel Lee and Photographer & Filmmaker Tyrone Lebon with Talent John Glacier, Jun Ji-hyun, Lennon Gallagher, Liberty Ross, Raheem Sterling, Shygirl, Skepta, and Vanessa Redgrave

Burberry shares the first campaign under the creative direction of newly appointed designer Daniel Lee. For his debut creative expression at the house, Lee teamed up with photographer Tyrone Lebon and an exciting cross section of contemporary British and global talent for a sensitive and direct approach to asserting Burberry’s refreshed identity.

The campaign’s eclectic and impressive casting ranges from musicians like John Glacier (who also composed an original score for the accompanying video) and Skepta to decorated veteran actor Vanessa Redgrave and nepo baby Lennon Gallagher, and more. Lebon captures these figures with a direct yet subtly expressive style against recognizable London locales like Trafalgar Square and Albert Bridge, making for a multifaceted portrait of the city’s vibrant multiculturalism and constant development. This sensibility is augmented by the appearance of a classic symbol of England, a rose, in several of the portraits. A few shots featuring a couple of the city’s non-human denizens – a fox and some swans – appear as well, lending a playful and naturally spontaneous feel to the campaign while broadening its creative scope and the brand’s refreshed and distinct style. The rose is also the central motif of the accompanying video, which layers dreamy time-lapse footage of the flowers blooming with moving versions of the portraits, all accompanied by John Glacier’s introspective and poetic score.

Finishing off the images is a reimagined logo which takes its inspiration from the brand’s archives – a smart choice that feels much more in tune with the brand than the somewhat soulless sans-serif font that appeared during Riccardo Tisci’s time. The Equestrian Knight Design makes a return as well, whose flag fittingly bears the Latin word prorsum, meaning “forwards.” This new campaign now forms the only content on the brand’s Instagram, which feels like a fresh and welcoming new start.

While the campaign doesn’t give us much of an idea of what we can expect from Lee design-wise (we’ll have to wait for his first show at London Fashion Week later this month), instead opting to stick with classic house pieces like trench coats and its signature check, the imagery does offer an exciting first glance at the creative director’s new vision for the brand. We can already see that the brand is benefitting from having a British designer back at the helm who is ready to honor the heritage of the brand without getting bogged down in it and while recognizing the kind of changes needed to keep moving forward. Intimate, elegant, and down-to-earth all at once, this campaign comes as a welcome breath of fresh air, and has us very excited for Daniel Lee’s debut collection.