In fashion parlance, there is a term which has lately emerged which is known as "doing a Gucci". This derives from the eponymous Italian label which earlier this decade appeared to be in a state of terminal decline. Then a new designer, Texan-born Tom Ford, was brought in to give the company a new look with stunning consequences - from seeming hopelessness, Gucci has become one of the most successful fashion names of the 1990s.
Now, every other long-established brand also wants to "do a Gucci" and achieve the same results. Among those most likely to do so is the unexpected name of Burberry. A brand which epitomises traditional British dress has been totally made-over by a new management/design team and is now set to be one of the strongest labels of the next century. The company dates back to 1856, when Thomas Burberry opened an outfitters in Basingstoke, Hampshire. In 1879, he invented a breathable waterproof fabric which quickly became indispensable for all outdoor clothing. Called gabardine, this was used for the trench coat which its inventor also originated. "Burberry clothing is a cover as nature intended," said Thomas Burberry, who clearly understood that a good soundbite is as advantageous as any design skill. He also understood the merits of longevity, dying only at the age of 90 in 1926, by which time his company was firmly established with branches worldwide.
Aside from sturdy gabardine, the company's other trademark has been the Burberry check of red, camel, black and white, first introduced as lining to trench coats in 1924 and associated with the brand ever since.
By the late 1980s, however - rather like the Gucci green and red stripe - the Burberry check had been debased by overuse and could be found on virtually everything and everyone. The outcome: far from being an exclusive brand, Burberry was now just another name in a crowded and competitive field. Hence the need for a rethink and overhaul of the business; this began two years ago with the appointment of Rose Marie Bravo, formerly of New York's Saks Fifth Avenue, as worldwide chief executive of Burberry. She subsequently brought in Roberto Menichetti as chief designer. Thus, the two people primarily responsible for reviving an archetypal British company are an American and an Italian. Nonetheless, the Bravo/ Menichetti combination has succeeded in preserving Burberry's essential spirit while clearing away the clutter which had obscured it. First thing to receive attention was the name, now stripped back to just the one word, Burberry, with no other accretions.
This change, which might be considered relatively minor, represents the new regime in charge of the company. Menichetti's signature range is called Prorsum, a Latin word taken from the company motto and meaning "forwards". This sums up the most salient characteristic of Burberry today; it reflects the past but looks to the future. In recent advertising campaigns, photographed by Mario Testino, Stella Tennant and Kate Moss have been shown wearing Burberry clothes in a deliberately casual manner that captures the new spirit. While there have been gradual changes over the past few seasons, this autumn/winter sees the first full collection on sale and indications are that it will meet with public favour. Menichetti's background is in fashion; in the family home town of Gubbio, his mother's company manufactures clothes and he used to work with Jil Sander. The latter's influence is evident in his designs for Burberry which share the same pared-back quality and fundamental love of fabrics. Inevitably, the work possesses an Italian flavour - of the kind also seen at Prada or Etro - especially in the attention to detail, whistle-clean silhouette and subdued sense of extravagance.
The new Burberry clothing is rich but in no way flashy. Fine-trimmed, ultra-lightweight shearling jackets and coats are typical of the range in which luxurious comfort is at a premium. Silk, cashmere and mohair all feature, but so do new fabrics and fibres developed in Italy and employed in unusual combinations - shot with metal, perhaps, or woven to allow individual threads to be pulled through the surface. This sense of novelty is true also of the clothes themselves, in which the Burberry check continues to be used but in unexpected forms; a blanket-wrap skirt, for example, or barely showing itself from beneath a gossamer top-layer. Most important of all is the sense of there being nothing extraneous or unnecessary to any piece. It adds up to a look which has all the right elements to make Burberry one of the must-have labels for every serious fashion aficionado from London to Tokyo. In the new Burberry line, everything must serve a purpose or else it is rejected. Zips play as important a role as buttons, all fastenings are kept to a minimum, and surface detail is almost non-existent.
The look is sharply contemporary, refreshingly understated. Other than the Burberry check, fabrics are largely monochrome, working within a limited palette of winter white, sage and leaf green, navy blue, rust and metallic purple. Burberry is by no means the only company to take on a new designer in order to attract younger, more fashion-conscious customers. In the past couple of years, Hermes and Louis Vuitton have done the same, and both Prada and Gucci have become key names in the global fashion industry. What distinguishes Burberry is that, unlike the aforementioned names, its core business has always been clothing and not accessories. The risk, therefore, is greater but so too are the potential rewards. With their autumn/winter collection, Bravo and Menichetti's gamble looks like it has paid off.
The new Burberry range will be available this autumn from Brown Thomas, Dublin
