A host of stars, from Kate Moss and Victoria Beckham to Vogue editor Anna Wintour, paid tribute to him at London’s Southwark Cathedral on Thursday.
“It is hard to believe that he is no longer with us,” he told the AFP Caroline Rush, President of the British Fashion Council.
“But I think that, in a way, his spirit lives on through the creativity of the many young designers he inspired,” he added.
Over the five days, 47 shows are scheduled and veteran designer Paul Costelloe, a longtime favorite of the late Princess Diana, will open the show.
After several editions disrupted by the pandemic and the previous London Fashion Week being largely put on hold because it was scheduled just after the death of Queen Elizabeth II on September 6, “it is a great relief to be able to organize again London Fashion Week,” Rush said.
The iconic logo returns
Before his long-awaited show on Monday, lovers of the latest trends already had a preview of the first collection for Burberry by Lee, who left Bottega Veneta to become creative director of the British brand in October 2022, replacing Riccardo Tisci.
A promotional video shot in London’s Trafalgar Square and Albert Bridge, released in early February, revealed a cast of British talent including models Lennon Gallagher and Liberty Ross, footballer Raheem Sterling, rapper Shygirl and veteran English actress Vanessa Redgrave, together with South Korean actress Jun Ji-hyun.
Fashion commentators saw in this a clear intention on Lee’s part to re-emphasize Burberry’s British roots. The historic logo, depicting a horseman with a spear and armor, has also made a comeback, having been abandoned by Tisci in 2018.