Daniel Lee - Designer, Creative Director of Burberry

[PDFSD]

someone in the thread was genuinely surprised that a potential new candidate for the role was in the building during the existing tenure of other CD/s. People seem to forget that brands are brutal and would do anything to keep the business going.

agree 10000 % it's not a daycare center for creative tortured souls :-)

 

[proseccotabis]

agree 10000 % it's not a daycare center for creative tortured souls :-)

for sure. its certainly a myth that you're not merely a number here. a brutal industry for the mental state

 

[Lola701]

An unpopular opinion maybe, but Daniel's offerings for Burberry aren't - or should I say weren't, since they are barely promoting/selling them - that bad at all and I am not really blaming him for how the brand is performing.
To me, it's a situation different than, say, Raf at Calvin, because Lee did present things that are in line with what Burberry is as a house and didn't turn it into an unmarketable fever dream. Ok, the duck beanie was a joke and the 1st show overall wasn't a hit in its frumpiness, but most of the stuff I've seen in person looks solid, from his takes on plaid to the variations of loafers with metal plates. People are kind of omitting he is rather capable of putting together things that are grounded, yet desirable (his Bottega was quite strong across many categories and laid the base for its current success + he was obviously responsible for a lot at Céline) and that is very much what's needed at Jil Sander. The Meiers have turned it into a brand of decorative minimalism, a lane crowded by trend chasers who think keeping it reduced means having permanently wet-looking hair, a meticulously curated feed and a coat with no buttons so that you (have to) hold it and look aloof.. while Jil was all about creating things that should be equally functional and aesthetically pleasing due to the focus on fabrics and cuts with a few chosen details. Which is what Daniel did well - his confidently cut shirts, outerwear and tailoring with the signature V were more than satisfying - before he started feeding into the hype machine at BV and then tried to repeat it at Burberry.

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The bomber with the pant is so perfect!

Lee at JS make sense. Renzo Rosso would do anything as long as it has Anna’s approval. She seems to be very supportive of Lee, wearing the ugly Burberry scarf, attending stores opening, featuring his clothes…etc.

I’m sure Anna will also have her say in whoever takes Margiela too.

Those brands aren’t advertisers as far as I know so, having her approval means constant coverall. He can blow Diesel’s money at Vogue and support her various projects.

 

[blueorchid]

At this rate they are going to hire Vicky Beckham as Burberry CD...

Just make sure she copies the right designers and it could work!

 

[Phuel]

^^^ …Why not Vicky and Dave? He can draw the masses like fly to sh!t better than her. And they’d be the #firstcelebhusbandwife designing duo. These rubbish times are all about tricks/gimmicks/power couples (..just ask Shawn Carter and his fembot wife…).

I hope Daniel goes to rehab, because I wouldn´t like to see duck prints at Jil Sander...

LOL The all-American preppy Nantucket duck prints/motifs for a quintessential British label is a hilarious tryhard flop. It’s his Americanness coming through again and again— just like his Bottega was riddled with Banana Republic sequinned twinsets that are the signatures of every American department store since the mid-90s. He’s always been a phoney department store type desperately attempting European edge. He just happened to had learned the secret of being successful these dire fashion days is to accent basics with loud, cartoony Dr Seuss statement pieces in a Lego color-palette. And credit to him, he suckered an entire generation with such a caricature of the fashion victim— and without the support of a status-chasing logo/monogram the way that brands like current-day Gucci/SL/Chanel heavily depend on. Perhaps this is being way way way too generous to him, but his trajectory is somewhat similar to Claude Montana’s: Very serious, very self-important, and mostly, very much a caricature of the humourless fashion victim of the time that they’re designing for. And like Montana, also very painfully dated when we look back in 5 years from now. At his most coveted— and that’s his Bottega, he was relevant for the women and twinks that want to look “super cute” on their social. Eh.

 

[Rigida]

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A clip showing Tang Wei's (Chinese celeb & one of the brand's ambassador lol) shocked expression when she sees those Burberry prices...

 

[Olaffo]

can we get full article ? I’m intrigued by the new CEO strategy

 

[LadyJunon]

The British brand known for its trademark check went straight back to its heritage and eliminated references to its catwalk collections. The focus now is on outerwear and no longer on fashion.

At this point, they need to stop wasting their money and Daniel Lee's time and let him go already.

 

[Mody]

I suspect this ‘return to the root’ approach could really bring back what they want with this brand.
Burberry started as an outwear brand for sure, but its problem is not to sell their classic outwear, but exists as a fashion house that sells beyond those core items.
Plus its strong association with UK culture, which in itself gets less and less of a importance in terms influence, really puts them in a box that is difficult to get out of.
If you want a military style trench coat today, you would already have one whether or not it is from Burberry. They should really just give the power to the creative mind, and let them create a new aura around the brand that is not so stubbornly British.

 

[Thefrenchy]

At this point, they need to stop wasting their money and Daniel Lee's time and let him go already.

Agreed, and that quote feels very "bybye, we don't need you anymore"... Looking back at it, it's kind of wild (yet not surprising) that they'd put this failure on him when they are the ones responsible for a strategic mistake in the first place. I will die on that hill but I genuinely believe it would have worked, if the pricing wasn't that insane.

I can read the "Burberry and Daniel Lee Part Ways" announcement already...

Plus its strong association with UK culture, which in itself gets less and less of a importance in terms influence, really puts them in a box that is difficult to get out of.

This is what I don't get. Apologies to UK TFSers, but it's not like the whole UK culture / lifestyle is still particularly relevant or aspirational today. Especially since Brexit... Last time that whole vibe was cool was two decades ago, at peak Kate Moss / Babyshambles era etc.

What shocked me the most when I saw that McLellan campaign was how dusty and expected it felt. Casting Cara as a "remember the good ole days" face, Olivia reprising her The Crown role looking twice her age in a late Queen Elizabeth Balmoral look... None of it felt exciting or new - or that you'd want to be part of it in 2024. Very "when was the last time we were likeable"... Quite disastrous. If that's the route they want to take, good luck.

Friends in London told me there is a project with Walter Pfeiffer about to be released, probably the last one we'll see baring Lee's brand image signature if now they're going for the McLellan pits of boredom route.

 

[Lola701]

It’s maybe only me but I don’t think that the strategy under the current campaign is that much different from Lee’s. It still has that utilitarian, down to earth approach. Lee’s images gave you more attitude et mood.
And it’s still Lee’s designs.

The Uturn feels performative. Because at the end of the day, who are the people spending 2500 on a Burberry

 

[ellearchivist]

Agreed, and that quote feels very "bybye, we don't need you anymore"... Looking back at it, it's kind of wild (yet not surprising) that they'd put this failure on him when they are the ones responsible for a strategic mistake in the first place. I will die on that hill but I genuinely believe it would have worked, if the pricing wasn't that insane.

I can read the "Burberry and Daniel Lee Part Ways" announcement already...



This is what I don't get. Apologies to UK TFSers, but it's not like the whole UK culture / lifestyle is still particularly relevant or aspirational today. Especially since Brexit... Last time that whole vibe was cool was two decades ago, at peak Kate Moss / Babyshambles era etc.

What shocked me the most when I saw that McLellan campaign was how dusty and expected it felt. Casting Cara as a "remember the good ole days" face, Olivia reprising her The Crown role looking twice her age in a late Queen Elizabeth Balmoral look... None of it felt exciting or new - or that you'd want to be part of it in 2024. Very "when was the last time we were likeable"... Quite disastrous. If that's the route they want to take, good luck.

Friends in London told me there is a project with Walter Pfeiffer about to be released, probably the last one we'll see baring Lee's brand image signature if now they're going for the McLellan pits of boredom route.

I haven’t been to London much this year, so at least the Mclellan pictures were a nice postcard of all my favourite tourist spots!

 

[bc collector]

Perhaps this is being way way way too generous to him, but his trajectory is somewhat similar to Claude Montana’s: Very serious, very self-important, and mostly, very much a caricature of the humourless fashion victim of the time that they’re designing for. And like Montana, also very painfully dated when we look back in 5 years from now. At his most coveted— and that’s his Bottega, he was relevant for the women and twinks that want to look “super cute” on their social. Eh.

Eerrrrhhh...excuse me, but poor Claude, his being a wreck as a person notwithstanding, does not deserve to be dragged down to Lee's level. For better or for worse, Montana defined the silhouette of a decade (more him than Mugler or Alaia, if you ask me) and his work was influential in ways that Lee can only dream of in his wildest, drug fuelled dreams. If something feels dated, it's not just Montana's clothes but the whole fashion output of the 80's, the most difficult decade to "revisit" in terms of design, the hardest to tackle and make interesting again.
Also, I don't think Montana cared about being "cool/cute", the whole idea became an obsession of a much younger generation of designers who try hard to smuggle "coolness" for lack of serious design skills.

 

[rowjellies]

It’s maybe only me but I don’t think that the strategy under the current campaign is that much different from Lee’s. It still has that utilitarian, down to earth approach. Lee’s images gave you more attitude et mood.
And it’s still Lee’s designs.

These images are definitely more commercial and catalogue-y. Like British J Crew or Abercrombie.

 

[Lola701]

Eerrrrhhh...excuse me, but poor Claude, his being a wreck as a person notwithstanding, does not deserve to be dragged down to Lee's level. For better or for worse, Montana defined the silhouette of a decade (more him than Mugler or Alaia, if you ask me) and his work was influential in ways that Lee can only dream of in his wildest, drug fuelled dreams. If something feels dated, it's not just Montana's clothes but the whole fashion output of the 80's, the most difficult decade to "revisit" in terms of design, the hardest to tackle and make interesting again.
Also, I don't think Montana cared about being "cool/cute", the whole idea became an obsession of a much younger generation of designers who try hard to smuggle "coolness" for lack of serious design skills.

It’s not even a comparison that make sense.
The only way we could and should compare Montana and Lee (for now) is as « products of their time ».

But it is too soon to judge the body of work of Lee in a historical context.

Beyond the idea of fun and creative freedom that we like to attach to 80’s fashion, Montana is part of that school of designers, with Alaïa and Mugler who defined a certain idea of La Parisienne. It was about the cold bourgeoise, it was about a fantasy, drama. It was a specific idea of women.
Ultimately, it became outdated in the 90’s because the cultural context changed….And Alaïa, who probably had the most realistic idea of women survived.

There’s something post-modern about Daniel Lee. He has digested so many references, is part of that « cool » school of design. There’s I think that balance between practicality and drama that I think this school of design is trying to maintain. But it’s hard to have a full idea of what his woman stands for.

What Lee is doing is the « New modern » because everything influenced by the work of Phoebe is the « Now » in mass taste fashion but there’s a new modern everytime.

For me, the real difference in the fashion landscape is the absence of the « Avant-garde ».
In fashion history, there was always that moment when the Avant Garde had to become mainstream. That’s maybe why the comparison between Montana and Lee doesn’t work.