Les trenchs Burberry de l’été 2009. et les produits dérivés subissent la même métamorphose. Bailey réactualise les codes de la marque, à commencer par le célèbre tartan qu’il utilise par touches, souvent décalées. Cette année, il propose un nouvel imprimé tartan inspiré par le parfum The Beat, couleurs : le noir, le gris et le blanc. Emblème de Burberry, le trench est lui aussi revisité, transformé, modernisé. C’est l’une des pièces-vedettes de la collection de l’été 2009 pour femmes. Allégé, assoupli, il s’orne de dégradés de couleurs tendres, d’imprimés ou d’incrustations. Attentif aux coupes et à la qualité des matières, soucieux du moindre détail, Bailey est un coloriste hors pair. Sa palette est aussi riche qu’originale. Cet été, elle explore une gamme de coloris délicats : gris perle, ardoise, grège, céladon, kaki, taupe, beige rosé, bleu nuit, bleu porcelaine, citrine, prune, lilas, lavande, etc. Ses « filles du jardin » vivent le présent avec une touche romantique. Leurs bijoux s’inspirent eux aussi des jardins anglais. Et la nouvelle ligne de sacs créée par Christopher s’appelle Gardener. Mais notre jardinier des temps modernes a plus d’une corde à son arc. Simultanément, Burberry lance une nouvelle collection de jeans et une nouvelle collection de sport pour femmes. Sans oublier les autres lignes Burberry London et Thomas Burberry. Christopher veille aussi à l’image de la société, aux looks des boutiques et il vient d’orchestrer l’aménagement du nouveau siège social de la marque : 15000 m² à Horseferry House dans le quartier Westminster à Londres. C’est contemporain et fonctionnel, tout en conservant le style des années 1930 du bâtiment originel. Plus que jamais, en 2009, Burberry va de « l’avant » (Prorsum ne veut-il pas dire « en avant » ?). Sans renier son passé. Le bilan est éloquent : 493 boutiques dans le monde, dont 30 ouvertes en 2007/2008 (trois fois plus que durant l’exercice antérieur) ! God save… Mister Bailey ! -/Since joining the famous British brand in 2001 he’s turned it into a beacon value in international luxury. Accolades are raining down on him : he’s just been made a Star Honouree at the Fashion Group International awards and in 2008 he was namedmen’s fashion designer of the year at the British Fashion Awards and designer of the year by GQ magazine. Since Christopher Bailey joined Burberry in 2001 he has transformedthe venerable British fashion house that Thomas Burberry founded in 1856 into an international reference in contemporary luxury, as much for women as for men. A fashion genius ? Assuredly in terms of career, but this Yorkshireman didn’t discover his fashion vocation at an early age, his initial passion was drawing and he confesses to a boundless admiration for David Hockney, who comes from a village close to the one he was born in. At his school in Halifax young Christopher’s drawings attracted the attention of his teacher who advised him to send them to the Royal College of Art in London. Christopher did so, successfully : he entered that venerable institution with a scholarship. On graduating he was spotted by Donna Karan who employed him in New York. Then Gucci noticed him. For five years Christopher worked alongside Tom Ford, the star of modern glamour. He liked Italy, which is something of a second home to him. « In fact, I’ve never felt very English, » he confessed to L’Expressin 2006. « My grandmother is Italian, I’ve lived in New York and Milan, and for a long time I thought I’d never return to England. » New-look Burberry Then in 2001 Burberry asked him to head its design studio. An enormous challenge, nothing less than redefining the style of that long-standing British fashion house. The magic worked ; Bailey instinctively reconnected with that British mindset. « The English style has a unique spirit, » he says, « a singular way of mixing worlds, of combining tradition and eccentricity, aristocracy and street culture. All with tremendous respect for craftsmanship and an elegance that is never arrogant. And that spirit corresponds perfectly with how Burberry defines itself ! » The flagship line in this mutation is Burberry Prorsum but all the lines and secondary products are undergoing the same metamorphosis. Burberry’s emblematic trench coat is likewise revisited, transformed, modernised. Attentive to cuts and the quality of materials, meticulous about the smallest details, Christopher is also an unparalleled colourist who employs a palette as rich as it is original. This summer it explores a range of delicate colours : pearly grey, slate grey, greige, celadon, khaki, taupe, pinky beige, midnight blue, china blue, citrine, plum, lilac, lavender etc. His « garden girls » live in the present with a romantic touch. Their jewellery too is inspired by English gardens and the new line of bags Christopher has created is called Gardener. But our modern-day gardener has more than one string to his bow. Burberry is simultaneously launching a new jeans collection and a new women’s sport collection, and of course there are the Burberry London and Thomas Burberry lines. Christopher also supervises the brand image and its store designs and has just orchestrated the fitting out of the company’s new head offices : 15,000m² in Horseferry House, Westminster, London. God save… Mister Bailey ! mars 2009 www.cotemagazine.com MODE FASHION 53