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Meet Christopher Bailey, the man who made Burberry relevant again

Burberry's Christopher Bailey has transformedthe fortunes of the British heritage label, writes Jing Zhang

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Clockwise from top: looks from the Burberry Prorsum spring-summer 2013 collection; backstage at the London Fashion Week show. Photos: Nora Tam, Xinhua, Reuters, AFP

When we meet at his minimalist office at Horseferry House in London, Christopher Bailey's enthusiasm is infectious. "The whole of Asia has such energy," he says. "There is this real sense of pride among the young artists and designers - but also humility. And people are so excited and open. There's no cynicism."

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Known as 'the nicest man in fashion', Burberry's chief creative officer was in Hong Kong this week to launch the label's new hi-tech Pacific Place flagship. The 21,500 sq ft store is the brand's largest in the Asia-Pacific region, and has taken over the space formerly occupied by retail giant Lane Crawford.

Bailey has been credited with transforming the fortunes of the British heritage house. After 11 successful years at Burberry, he continues to drive the label forward, making its high fashion line, Burberry Prorsum, one of the most progressive today.

"The word is Latin for 'to move forward' and founder Thomas Burberry invented the equestrian knight logo with that flag. So his whole philosophy was about that," he says.

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Bailey, 41, who manages the brand image as well as the design, has helped put the 156-year-old company in an enviable position. One of the Britain's oldest heritage apparel labels, it has come to represent a barometer of the industry's health. In September, a profit warning from the company - its first after years of strong growth - sent shockwaves through the industry and had journalists speculating whether luxury fashion was heading for a fall.

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