Burberry are one of Britain’s most iconic clotheing brands, with huge numbers of fans internationally. From the Burberry check pattern to the new Burberry fragrance, Goddess, what are the best Burberry commercials, and who has starred in them?
Best of British
Burberry was established way back in 1856 by Thomas Burberry, a former draper’s apprentice. Aged only 21, he opened his own shop in Basingstoke and by 1870, the business was celebrated for its development of outdoor clothing. In 1879, Burberry introduced gabardine to the clothes – a hard-wearing, water-resistant but breathable fabric, which made his trenchcoats a garment to stand the test of time.
Did you know that Burberry was the official outfitter for Roald Amundsen, the first man to reach the South Pole, and Ernest Shackleton, for his 1914 expedition to cross Antarctica? Not to mention George Mallory sporting a Burberry gabardine jacket for his attempt on Mount Everest in 1924. Plus, in 1937, A.E. Clouston and Betty Kirby-Green broke the world record for the fastest return flight from London to Cape Town in The Burberry aeroplane, which was sponsored by the brand. These are clothes that come with a lot of history.
The iconic ‘Burberry check’ has been in use since at least the 1920s, mainly as a lining in its trench coats. However, it was Jacqueline Dillemman, a buyer in Burberry’s Paris store, who had a flash of inspiration in 1967, while preparing a presentation for British ambassador Sir Patrick Reilly. She removed the check lining from a coat, wrapped it around luggage and an umbrella and a branding icon was born.
Asif Kapadia (Amy, Senna), directed short film The Tale of Thomas Burberry, starring Domhnall Gleeson as the eponymous designer, with Dominic West as Shackleton, plus Lily James and Sienna Miller.
It’s definitely a story that deserves the full, big-screen treatment!
Night Creatures
The fashion house’s autumn/winter 2022 ad opens with three friends travelling home on the night bus through London, discussing a sci-fi movie they’ve just seen. When their bus is stopped by a mysterious, long-legged creature, you’d be forgiven for assuming that there’s going to be destruction, horror and the struggle for our three protagonists to escape a gory fate.
The ‘monster’ might well remind you of the tripods from War of the Worlds – or, if you’re a certain age, the ‘peace… no peace’ scene from Independence Day…
But happily, Burberry have something far more joyous planned for this alien interaction. A dance through London’s streets ensues, bringing in everything from freerunning to ballet and experimental movement. The choreography was put together by La(Horde), a collective founded in 2013 by artists Marine Brutti, Jonathan Debrouwer and Arthur Harel.
The trio have created choreographic works, films, video installations and performances that always evolve around the body in movement.
May the Force Be With You
French directing collective Megaforce have created numerous films for Burberry. They explained that, ‘we wanted to express the bold attitude that it takes to dive into the unknown: the fearless and playful spirit of adventure.’
Megaforce also created the fantastic ‘Nothing Beats a Londoner’ ad for Nike:
Celebrating curiosity has always been part of the Burberry brand, with the house’s founder, Thomas Burberry, creating outerwear that combined creativity and curiosity.
Night Check is the latest iteration of the brand’s signature pattern; bright white stars appear in the dark blue. Plus, there’s an Exaggerated Check, which is a supersized take on the signature Burberry pattern. They’re shown off by the delicate, sinuous dance that the three stars of ‘Night Creatures’ enjoy across London, culminating in sailing off under a beautifully lit Tower Bridge. The film’s nocturnal ballet celebrates the best of Britishness in a joyful, unexpected, way.
The music for ‘Night Creatures’ is as magical as the visuals. The beautiful ‘Celebrations’ was composed by Guillaume Humery, who performs under the name of Yom. Originally a classical clarinettist, Humery has also studied Eastern European klezmer music.
The music kicks in as the three dancers take flight on the night creature’s tentacles. The twinkling, delicate track is underpinned by piano with classical influences, which contributes to the otherworldly feel of the film.
Burberry Open Spaces
Choreography collective La(Horde) have worked with everyone from 70-year-olds to blind performers. Their ‘Open Spaces’ film features four bold individuals defying gravity as they bound weightlessly through fields, twisting high above a towering forest and floating beautifully over a cliff edge as they come together at the end.
The pioneering film from 2021 blends reality with fantasy, helped by effects house The Mill, who crafted visual effects and photoreal CG.
‘Open Spaces’ swept up 5 Stars, Ad of the Week and Work of the Week from Campaign Magazine UK, Adweek, The Drum and David Reviews.
Go behind the scenes to see some of the stunning performances being filmed:
Burberry Summer 2023 Swimwear Collection
The luxury house unveiled its summer 2023 swimwear collection by channelling its signature code of adventure. Celebrating escapism, it features the Burberry Check, first used to line the brand’s raincoats in the 1920s.
Photographer Tyrone Lebon worked with Burberry’s creative director Daniel Lee on the ad, which features modes Alex Schlab, Angelina Kendall, Matheus Mesquita, Tianna St. Louis and others.
The original score is by Vegyn, known for his work on Frank Ocean’s ‘Blonde’ and ‘Endless’ – it’s got a dreamy feel that works really well with the beautiful, Super 8-style shots of the models playing in the sea.
Burberry Festive ‘Open Spaces’
Megaforce’s magical formula of larger-than-life grandeur, but grounded in real experiences resulted in more awards when they created the snow and ice-filled ‘Singing in the Rain’-inspired ‘Open Spaces’ film for Burberry in November 2020.
Another impeccably dressed quartet dance through the streets, again choreographed by La(Horde) to a beats-driven remix by Lank & Tank feat. Dreya Mac.
Burberry and Billy Elliot
Burberry’s festive ads always eschew the traditional Christmas vibe – in 2015, creative director Christopher Bailey teamed up with photographer Mario Testino to pay tribute to 15 years of Billy Elliot. The star-studded ad featured a whole host of British talent – from Romeo Beckham to Downton Abbey’s Michelle Dockery, Naomi Campbell and Rosie Huntingdon-Whiteley to Elton John, James Bay, George Ezra and Julie Walters leaping around.
The A-listers were soundtracked by T Rex’s ‘Cosmic Dancer’.
Burberry Perfume Adverts
Burberry Goddess Advert
The Burberry fragrance ad for Goddess features as its brand ambassador the star of Barbie and Netflix’s Sex Education, Emma Mackey.
The British-French actress appears alongside a pride of lionesses, created using footage of the animals in the wild and CGI technology, to represent the power of female strength and inner confidence.
DJ and producer TSHA created the track ‘Goddess’, with vocals by Shygirl, specifically for the new Burberry ads.
Burberry Hero
Burberry certainly love pairing their brand ambassadors with animals - inspired by the Burberry Animal Kingdom (founder Thomas Burberry chose to present his company with the emblem of a knight on horseback, with a unicorn on his family crest.)
Few, however, have been as eye-catching as ‘Hero’s horse galloping into the ocean pursued by a shirtless Adam Driver before both emerge, seemingly having become some kind of 21st Century centaur.
Director Jonathan Glazer (Under the Skin, Sexy Beast) shot the commercial in Tenerife, Spain, and it’s accompanied by lyrics from a portion of FKA Twigs’ song ‘Two Weeks’.
The launch of Hero in 2021 was the first new fragrance under the leadership of the brand’s creative director Riccardo Tisci – and unlike campaigns for shoes, clothes or accessories, which are replaced every season, fragrance campaigns can last for years (David Gandy for Dolce & Gabbana’s Light Blue, anyone?)
The ad did what every great spot does: sets a mood, grabs your attention and then sticks in your head (with a hefty sprinkle of ‘WTF’ that definitely set social media alight).
Go behind the scenes with underwater Director of Photography Andy McLeod:
My Burberry Blush
Lily James is in a gorgeous blush pink mac for this ad for the brand’s floral, fresh fragrance. It’s beautifully simple and given depth by Duffy’s cover of the 1950s classic, ‘I Put a Spell on You’. Originally written and recorded by Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, it’s had several hundred cover versions in the decades since, including a version by Nina Simone and a Hallowe’en classic, a performance of the song by Bette Midler in Disney movie Hocus Pocus, proving its versatility.
Burberry Her
Cara Delevingne was originally scouted by Burberry’s Christopher Bailey in 2012 and made her first catwalk appearance at London Fashion Week walking for the Burberry Prorsum A/W collection.
The model sports a punky bleached dye-job in this ad for the brand’s Her fragrance, as she drives around some of her hometown London’s landmarks. The ad was filmed by German artist and fashion photographer Juergen Teller, and multi-talented Cara also provides the soundtrack, with her own cover of the song ‘Maybe It’s Because I’m a Londoner’, which has a laid-back, Lily Allen-esque vibe.
Burberry The Pocket Bag
Looking for a true left-field fashion ad? This spot from summer 2020 has you very much covered. Starring supermodel Bella Hadid, it’s a high-concept film involving a panther and Bella being delivered to a warehouse in a giant wooden crate. She then spends the rest of her time prowling around the place (the janitor buffing the floors studiously ignores her), whilst the panther mooches about, unfazed by fashion royalty or this season’s It bag.
It was the brand’s first campaign dedicated exclusively to a bag and was filmed by Inez and Vinoodh, a Dutch-American fashion photographer duo.
Bella Hadid said, ‘I absolutely loved shooting this campaign, letting my inner animal spirit run free! We had so much fun on set, the mood was really sultry and playful, I felt we were really capturing that feline energy and power.’ The creative team also included legendary stylist Katy England.
The track, ‘Calcination’ by electronic musician Jlin, has a Japanese feel, with cymbal clashes at the start, and ethereal, mysterious vocals to match the slightly surreal atmosphere.
Burberry Spring/Summer – Cara and Jacob
Everyone’s favourite Brit and Burberry girl Cara Delevigne stars in this summer ad, with Jacob Young. It was the first ‘evolving’ campaign, with new models revealed every month.
The ads were shot on Brighton beach by famed fashion photographer Mario Testino, a long-time brand collaborator. ‘We wanted to create a dynamic, evolving campaign that reflects the diversity of our broad global consumer, revealing new British cast members each month, all with their own identity, embodying the different attitudes of the Burberry guy and girl.’
It’s a gorgeous mix of black and white and bleached-out colour, accompanied by The Feeling’s piano ballad ‘Rosé’, originally from their debut studio album. The version you hear was recorded as an ‘unplugged’ at Abbey Road, specifically for the Burberry Body fragrance campaign.
Lead vocalist Dan Gillespie Sells had done a shoot for Burberry; Chief Creative Officer Christopher Bailey liked his original piano vocal version, so the band re-recorded it at the iconic studio with strings to give it more of a feeling of refinement, and also to heighten the emotion in the song.
Check out the artfully shot fragrance ad which features the track, and stars supermodel Rosie Huntingdon-Whiteley who – by the looks of it – isn’t letting anything come between her and her glamorous gold Burberry mac.
It was another ad shot by Mario Testino and marked the return of Huntingdon-Whiteley as a brand ambassador, having first been the face of Burberry in 2010.
Burberry Prorsum – The Parka
Cara D can also be found larking around in an ad for the brand’s parka for Spring/Summer 2012, together with Eddie Redmayne, having a laugh in a very British way (he’s got his mug of tea with him, which is rather sweet.)
Another cover was provided by U2, this time taking on ‘Everlasting Love’ – originally released in 1967.
Ad-spiration
So, there you have it – an expert mix of glamour and brand history, iconography and perfectly-chosen tracks, which all make Burberry ads some of the most gorgeous fashion campaigns around.
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