Burberry to take AW20 show to Shanghai, will add China exclusives

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Jan 17, 2020

Burberry will be taking its autumn/winter 2020 fashion show directly to the market that’s driving luxury growth at present with plans to show in Shanghai, China on April 23.

It’s part of “a dedicated programme of activities the fashion house has planned in China this year,” and underlining the importance of the Chinese market, won’t just be a replica of its main London Fashion Week show that takes place on February 17.

Instead, the men’s and women’s show will include “new looks designed specifically for the event” that will be available to buy exclusively in China.

“Driving engagement and inspiring luxury consumers in China is a key focus for Burberry in 2020,” the company said of the Shanghai initiative. 

That’s a mission statement that could have come from any one of a number of big luxury names as they target luxury’s fastest growing market that’s accounting for an ever bigger percentage of overall sales as each year goes by.

Burberry’s particular focus can be seen by the brand having started the year with a dedicated Lunar New Year campaign and limited-edition capsule that also came with a new online game in honour of the Year of the Rat. 

Later this year, the company is also set to open its “social retail store” in Shenzhen Bay as part of its earlier-announced exclusive partnership with Chinese tech giant Tencent. 

The firm’s CEO Marco Gobbetti said of all this: “Over the next 12 months we will be focusing our communications on the highest visibility touchpoints to deepen the emotional connection we are building with luxury consumers. We want to continually inspire our customers. The show is the latest in a series of exciting events we have planned this year in China, one of our most important markets, as we set out on the next phase of our transformation.”

Creative chief Riccardo Tisci added: “My first years at Burberry were focused on establishing and defining my new identity for the house. Now we are ready to take this vision outside of London in new and exciting ways. Doing a show in China is a first for me. It’s a country that has always been so supportive of me and the moment will be a culmination of everything the teams and I have been working towards since I first started. It will be a celebration of our collections and our new attitude in one of the most innovative and inspiring cities in the world.”