Opposites attract: the brilliance of Burberry's new colour theory

Unconventional yet brilliant colour combinations defined Daniel Lee's autumn 2023 collection for Burberry. In Hong Kong recently, we took the brand's fresh swatch of shades for a spin.

By Amy Campbell

Published: Nov 15, 2023

Burberry autumn 2023 Esquire Australia — Duffle coat, $7,500, top, POA, trousers, $8,900, shoes, $2,450, all by Burberry. Photography: Olivia Tsang; Styling: Grant Pearce

DANIEL LEE IS ONE of the most intelligent designers working in fashion today. During his three years at Bottega Veneta, where he rose to fame after transforming the brand into a covetable, commercial powerhouse, Lee established the kind of visual language that most creatives might spend a lifetime mastering. It was a language that turned specific shades into “It” colours and woven leather handbags into the hottest thing since Jacquemus’ teeny tiny Le Chiquiti, spawning a thousand imitations.

But with a visual language so distinct, when it was announced that Lee has been appointed the creative director at Burberry, everyone wondered: how will he adapt his signature in a way that brings something fresh to the British heritage brand?

The moment he sent his first collection for Burberry down the runway, that question was answered. Colours took centre stage, but this time, the focus was less on a singular colour and more about unconventional yet striking colour combinations. Rose pink and purple; beige and yellow; purple and yellow and, in what quickly established itself as the hero colour of the collection (and, most likely, the hero colour of Lee’s tenure at the house), a brilliant blue. Prints also played a major part, with a charming duck motif repeated across silk shirts and pleated trousers. The brand’s traditional tartan check, meanwhile, was blown up and modernised. A new logo, which is actually an old logo (the “Equestrian Knight Design” was the winning entry of a public competition to design a new Burberry logo in 1901), also appeared on a number of designs.

As fun as it is to examine the collection on the runway, the most exciting thing about Burberry clothing is wearing it. Inside Hong Kong’s historic hotel The Magistracy recently, we tried the brand’s autumn 2023 collection on for size. See the full photoshoot here.