The campaign celebrates the power of music, reuniting cultural icons, from Oasis to Stray Kids.

Just ahead of the summer festival season, British fashion label Burberry unveiled its new campaign. The ad push nods to British music festival culture in a series of films and portraits that celebrate the power of music. 

At the Heart of the Music Festival Experience

Burberry’s latest campaign reimagines the ‘90s British cultural landscape with images shot against sound systems, stages and mud—a classic portrait of music festivals. Director Kim Gehrig taps into the festival experience for a series of video clips, while photographer Drew Vickers captures the essence of British musical events in the accompanying portraits. 

“Burberry sits at the center of the summer calendar,” shared Burberry’s creative director Daniel Lee. “Think of the campaign like a collage—candid moments capturing off-duty fans and headline acts in between gigs.”

For the promotional material, the brand enlisted an all-star cast featuring notable music and style powerhouses. British icons Liam Gallagher (along with his children: Lennon, Gene and Molly) Goldie and Alexa Chung lead the star-studded pack. Loyle Carner, Chi Cartier and John Glacier join the lineup, showcasing today’s British scene’s musical diversity. Meanwhile, Korean music sensation Seungmin, member of Stray Kids, makes a powerful appearance, representing the global soundscape. 

British Culture is all Around 

From featuring iconic British music festival figures—remember the time Alexa Chung revolutionized festival fashion?—to displaying a new generation of musicians, Burberry’s campaign celebrates the influence and heritage of British music and style.  

In the soundtrack, the brand pays homage to the UK festival favourite track, “Sweet Harmony” by Liquid. The imagery, on the other hand, highlights the classic Burberry Check, along with key brand styles, staples of any British festival wardrobe. Packable capes, Harrington jackets, gabardines, as well as polo T-shirts, check shirts and boots take center stage in the portraits. 

“Burberry has always been a part of the fabric of the UK… you see it [Burberry Check] on the underside of a hat or the inside of a jacket,” said English music producer, DJ and actor Goldie. “And then it starts to reverse itself.’

Burberry also looked back on its own history and ties to Brit music by portraying Oasis’s Liam Gallagher in his own Burberry parka from the  Christopher Bailey era. The piece was first presented as part of the Spring Summer 2018 collection and will be reissued in a limited run, available worldwide from July.

Burberry Forward

Burberry’s campaign comes at a moment when ‘90s Brit culture experiences a wave of popularity thanks to social media and media archives. Between a fascination for revisiting the story of The Primrose Hill set and the return of Britpop icons like Robbie Williams, whose biopic Better Man made the rounds on the internet, younger generations are rediscovering the old-school British scene. 

The promotional campaign was presented a few weeks after Burberry announced its plans to cut nearly a fifth of its global workforce (1,700 jobs) in an attempt to reinvigorate its finances. The brand has seen steady decline for years, with the 2024 fiscal year ending with a 15% revenue decline. Additionally, Burberry experienced a decrease in demand in Asia Pacific markets, South Korea, in particular.  

Last November, Burberry’s CEO, Joshua Schulman, presented a recovery strategy to “reignite brand desire.”  Titled “Burberry Forward,” the plan consists of returning to the label’s roots. “We are operating in a difficult market, however, our underperformance is also a consequence of the decisions we have taken,” Schulman said back in November 2024. “It stems from an inconsistent brand execution and the lack of focus on our core outerwear category and our core customer segments.”

Burberry is now working on a full-scale reset that taps into its British heritage and the promotion of signature styles—outerwear in their case. The brand’s latest campaign perfectly aligns with the strategic plans laid out in “Burberry Forward.”