Luxury leans in to Heritage
Burberry’s new creative director Daniel Lee, tasked with moving the brand forward, did so in his first campaign by utilising Burberry’s most classic motifs: hunting lodge hats, English roses and Burberry plaid. Lee is very clear on his primary focus at the house: heritage. As Rickie Desole, Nordstrom’s fashion director eulogised, ‘A fabulous new era for Burberry, filled with nods to its rich history begins!’.
Burberry’s rebrand is part of a larger trend that is seeing many luxury brands from a range of sectors turning away from flash new campaigns and the hiring of celebrity creative directors, to shift focus back onto the brands themselves through their archives and histories.
As Katie Bridgeman from The Brand Archivists confirms, ‘Brands particularly in the luxury sector, were continuously reinventing themselves in order to feel fresh and modern. It was a very unsustainable model that couldn’t go on forever’. Brands across a range of sectors are turning to The Brand Archivists to help them refocus on themselves, on their heritage and history, rather than the next trend.
As Bridgeman asserts ‘The lesson for all brands is evolution not revolution; understanding and investing in your brand’s archives and heritage is not just about conservation of the past, it is also key to delivering a future that is both fresh and authentic’.
From archive/heritage evaluation (digitisation and search/access) through to demand-led content curation, the Brand Archivists offer unique expertise on bringing heritage and archives to life. Whether for an internal audience or as part of a consumer facing campaign, let the Brand Archivists help you curate your archive and refresh your story for today’s audience.