Burberry opened its show at London Fashion Week with the kind of confidence that felt familiar and brand new at the same time, a reminder that London is the place where heritage meets the now and Daniel Lee’s creativity is doing most of the heavy lifting.
At the center of that moment was a runway that felt like London itself a city under street lamps and rain clouds, a setting that was staged to look like a rainy night with resin puddles on the floor and a fragmented Tower Bridge as part of the set which gave an urban narrative to every outfit that walked its length. That immersive scene wasn’t just atmosphere it was a backdrop that let every trench coat, every leather jacket and every textural detail carry weight, mood and meaning across the runway.
Walking into that space the first thing anyone noticed was how the palette reflected the cityscape deep plum navy black and cream dominated while dim lighting made glossy surfaces and soft textures come alive. Outerwear anchored this collection and became its most honest expression of what Burberry means in 2026. There were ruffled collar trench coats in pale grey that opened the runway and body hugging leather boiler suits that felt like they understood London’s rhythms before you even stepped out the door. These pieces weren’t loud because of bright colors they worked through contrasts in fabric weight and silhouette and a quiet brilliance in how they combined historic codes with a modern attitude.
Among the standout looks was a rich burgundy leather bomber worn by Romeo Beckham as he closed the show. The jacket had a fur trimmed collar that lent it softness against a structured silhouette and was paired with textured plum trousers that created a cohesive and intentional tonal story rather than something disjointed. You saw the bomber’s elasticated hem and relaxed cut respond to the scene around it and the simplicity of the shirt beneath let the leather speak for itself.
Her look felt classic and contemporary at once like something you might see on a city night out or in a magazine spread that refuses to settle for anything conventional. The coat paired with sleek black trousers grounded it and gave every step she took an air of confident ease that matched the show’s overarching narrative about life after dark in a city that never quite sleeps.
There were also moments where Burberry’s signature check resurfaced, especially in oversized trench coats that felt like archival pieces reinvented. One look featured exaggerated lapels that framed the model’s shoulders and aviator glasses that leaned into an aviator influence threaded throughout the show. That classic gabardine pattern wasn’t a relic it was a centerpiece reimagined through volume proportion and attitude, a kind of quiet nod to Burberry’s roots while still feeling unmistakably present.
Leather made a strong statement too, from wet look coats in inky black that brought a sleek hard edge to the runway to moto jackets that felt ready for the city streets. These pieces weren’t just about surface shine they were about attitude how they caught the light how they moved with the body and how they translated the designer’s vision of London nightlife into something tangible you could almost smell the damp asphalt and street food in the air just by watching the sequence of looks unfold.
The tailoring was equally deliberate. Some pieces had quilted textures that felt like warmth rather than ornamentation, while olive green tuxedo suits whispered refinement without veering into stiffness. In every jacket trousers and dresses the cuts felt modern but respectful of what Burberry has stood for since Thomas Burberry introduced gabardine over a century ago a balance of utility and elegance that hasn’t always been easy to pin down.
Amid these core looks there were evening pieces that leaned into soft fabrics and fluid tailoring, like silk dresses that moved with the model’s body and fringe skirts that chimed with every step making fashion sound as much as seen. Those moments were perhaps reminders that luxury isn’t just about weighty coats it’s also about ease and gesture and the way a silhouette can tell you something without overwhelming you with too many details.
Runway shows are about rhythm and this one was scored by a soundtrack that heightened its narrative bringing the work of FKA twigs into those moments and underscoring the connection between fashion and culture in a city that thrives on both. That choice of music wasn’t an afterthought it was part of how Daniel Lee signaled the conversation he wanted Burberry to have about modern existence about going out about what it means to dress for a city in motion.
The crowd gathered for that show wasn’t starless either. Front row seats were filled with familiar faces like Kate Moss and her daughter Lila Moss whose presence felt like a passing of fashion’s torch to a new generation and Olivia Dean whose look paired a crew neck sweater with an asymmetrical skirt and fringe bag giving her outfit a relaxed refinement that still spoke the language of the runway. Daisy Edgar-Jones brought her own presence in refined clothes that balanced ease and polish while Nicky Hilton stood out for her own take on the season’s trends a sweater and skirt combo that felt both comfortable and considered.
The show wasn’t just about spectacle it was also about identity about how Burberry can remain itself while continuing to change. When a model in a shearling trimmed coat walked next to someone in a quilted moto jacket the juxtaposition wasn’t accidental it was a hint that clothing should reflect the world’s complexities not flatten them. That richness in diversity of materials and influences wasn’t a scattergun approach it was a curated selection that made sense step after step and look after look.
Collection after collection Daniel Lee has pushed Burberry into conversations that feel relevant to now and this show felt like another chapter in that story. It kept the heart of British tailoring and craftsmanship while flirting with the spontaneity of city nights and the grit of everyday life. When you think about bomber jackets and moto leather paired with trench coats and bold textural layering you realize the message wasn’t just about clothes it was about the world those clothes inhabit and the people who wear them.
The mood on the runway was serious at times but never somber because even in the rich deep tones a sense of possibility was there how each model carried themselves made you think about the lives these clothes might live off runway their future in wardrobes beyond the fashion moment. That’s something that can be rare a collection that feels both grounded and poetic, rooted in place yet universal in appeal.
Walking away from London Fashion Week the sense you got from this show was that Burberry is not just leaning on its past it is shaping its present and future through thoughtful design choices pieces that feel familiar but not dated. From the outerwear that defines the house to the layers that play with contrast and texture this collection pushed conversation without shouting it.
In a city like London where style is as much about what you leave out as what you put on this show succeeded in giving fashion that feels alive Burberry.
