Burberry riffs on music festival fashion for crochet-heavy summer collection

 Burberry presented hippie-inspired crochet dresses, fringed jackets, and tailored suits in acid green, yellow and pink on Monday, drawing on counterculture fashions from the British music scene for its spring/summer 2026 collection.

A Black Sabbath soundtrack gave a rock'n'roll edge to the catwalk in a huge tent in London's Kensington Palace Gardens, with models' boots and sandals crunching on a brown sand floor - evoking the mud of music festivals, a theme Burberry has riffed on this summer.

The show, closing London Fashion Week, was the sixth collection by creative director Daniel Lee and the third since Joshua Schulman became CEO and overhauled the British brand's strategy to bring sales back to growth.

Fashion buyers saw in it further evidence of the changes Schulman has made: making sure the marketing - from social media campaigns to the biannual runway shows - tells a coherent story about British culture, and focusing on recognizable Burberry products like outerwear.

"Burberry has sharpened its focus on its most powerful assets - the trench, the check, and outerwear," said David Thielebeule, fashion director at U.S. department store Bloomingdale's.

Models on the catwalk at the Burberry show. Photo: AP

"This season Daniel carried that momentum forward, infusing the classics with a modish rock-and-roll edge through updates in crochet, fringe, mirrored detailing, and metallic finishes," Thielebeule added.

Lee took inspiration from the connection between fashion and music, Burberry said in a press release after the show.

Under Schulman, Burberry's advertising has drawn on Britain's outsized influence on music, featuring artists from Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher to 90s producer and DJ Goldie and hip hop musician Loyle Carner.

Burberry's check pattern featured on chainmail mini dresses in black and silver, and pink and neon green, and on trench coats, which also came in snakeskin and a tarot card print.

"Burberry's collection felt like a confident embrace of a younger client, rooted firmly in British culture and the energy of music festivals," said Simon Longland, director of fashion buying at Harrods.

Reuters