Burberry creative chief Tisci to exit, Daniel Lee takes the design reins

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Sep 28, 2022

Burberry on Wednesday delivered what would have been a bombshell announcement had it not been rumoured for some time — Riccardo Tisci will be stepping down as Chief Creative Officer and leaving the company. And his replacement? Step forward Daniel Lee.

After delivering his final collection (for SS23) in London this week, Tisci will be leaving at the end of this month and Lee starts on 3 October.

Lee, the former star designer at Bottega Veneta, helped reinvigorate that Kering-owned Italian luxury brand having previously been Director of ready-to-wear design at Celine, which he joined in 2012. He’s also worked at Maison Margiela, Balenciaga and Donna Karan.

In his new role, Lee will oversee all Burberry collections. He’ll present his debut runway collection at London Fashion Week in February 2023.

CEO Jonathan Akeroyd called him “an exceptional talent with a unique understanding of today's luxury consumer and a strong record of commercial success, and his appointment reinforces the ambitions we have for Burberry. I am excited about working closely with him and I am confident he will have the impact we are aiming for in this next phase, supported by our talented and experienced teams”.

Meanwhile, the company said that “Riccardo has decided to leave after almost five years, during which he spearheaded Burberry's creative transformation. Under his creative leadership, the company re-energised its brand image, introducing a new visual identity and reviving the Thomas Burberry Monogram”. 

It added that he’s also “modernised and elevated its product offer, attracting a younger, more diverse and fashion-forward community of customers, and aligned the customer experience to its luxury positioning”.

Akeroyd said: “Riccardo has played a pivotal role in repositioning Burberry. He has enhanced our creative language, modernised and elevated our product offer and brought a new generation of luxury customers to our brand. On behalf of everyone at Burberry, I would like to thank him for his creative leadership and wish him the very best for the future.”

And Tisci added: “Burberry is a very special place with a magical past and a very promising future. The chapter I was asked to write in its long story is one that I am incredibly proud of and one I have decided would culminate with my show on Monday. I thrived to continue a legacy of innovation, and consistently championed for creativity and diversity, in order to always keep Burberry moving forward. I want to thank my teams, past and present, and the army of collaborators and friends who helped me write a chapter that I hope will stay in Burberry's future for years to come.”