Why Burberry hired Daniel Lee as its new creative head: the former Bottega Veneta and Celine designer hopes to turn around the British brand’s ‘lacklustre’ sales under outgoing Riccardo Tisci
Burberry Group Plc has appointed former Bottega Veneta creative head Daniel Lee to succeed chief designer Riccardo Tisci, who is leaving the British fashion brand after five years.
Tisci’s departure completes a changing of the guard atop the luxury retailer, and comes less than a week after chief financial officer Julie Brown announced she was leaving to join pharmaceutical firm GSK Plc in a similar role.
Tisci had been at Burberry for five years and throughout his tenure we found his designs were not resonating strongly on social media, and sales growth for Burberry has been lacklustre versus peers
Lee will join as chief creative officer at the start of October. He will present his debut runway collection at London Fashion Week in February and report to Versace veteran Jonathan Akeroyd, who became Burberry’s chief executive officer in March.
Following the announcement on Wednesday, Burberry shares rose as much as 4.5 per cent.
Yorkshire, UK-born Lee previously worked under Phoebe Philo at Celine and reinvigorated Bottega Veneta, giving the classic brand known for its woven leather accessories a more cutting-edge feel and staging fashion shows in places like Berlin and Detroit.
Bottega Veneta was the only major brand owned by luxury conglomerate Kering that increased sales in 2020, a dire year for the industry as the pandemic began.
Lee left Bottega Veneta in November for undisclosed reasons following his last show in Detroit after less than four years in the role.
Akeroyd is set to present his new strategy for the British fashion company in November and Lee will be a key part of his plan.
When Tisci joined Burberry, he had just ended a successful 12-year stint at Givenchy, where he was known for his evening gown designs. He was hailed as a key part of previous CEO Marco Gobbetti’s strategy to move Burberry more upmarket.
Tisci tried to make the brand more visible by placing a monogram logo on products including bags, a recipe that’s worked for other brands such as Louis Vuitton.
However, the company was slow to reintroduce shows held in front of a live audience following pandemic lockdowns. Tisci presented the first men’s and women’s collection in March this year, whereas luxury French rivals reinstated most live shows in 2021.
On Monday, Tisci unveiled his last spring/summer 2023 collection in a London warehouse. The show had been postponed due to the mourning period following the funeral of Queen Elizabeth.
“Tisci had been at Burberry for five years and throughout his tenure we found his designs were not resonating strongly on social media, and sales growth for Burberry has been lacklustre versus peers,” Jefferies financial analysts, led by Flavio Cereda wrote. “However, a new creative does add one to two years to the time frame for a brand reset.”
- Incoming chief creative officer Daniel Lee will present his first Burberry show at London Fashion Week in February, and arrives after less than four years helming Bottega Veneta
- The British designer takes over from Riccardo Tisci, whose logo-heavy, five-year term ended suddenly amid talk of Burberry’s ‘lacklustre’ sales and poor social media presence