First glimpse at Burberry’s first, straight-to-consumer collection

The new Burberry campaign, photographed by Mario Testino. Courtesy Burberry

Burberry has released a sneak peek of its first ever, see-now buy-now collection.

Despite the full collection not set to launch until September, Burberry has revealed the first, tantalising glimpse into an entirely new fashion era — one that will have pieces available for sale the day after they appear on the runway.

To mark such an important shift in its own — and the fashion industry’s — history, Burberry has chosen to celebrate its British heritage once more, this time in the form of a collaboration with The New Craftsman, a collective that specialises in traditional British craftsmanship. What precisely it all entails, however, won’t be unveiled the fashion show in September.

What is known, though, is that Burberry creative director and CEO, Christopher Bailey, has looked to Virginia Wolfe's novel Orlando for inspiration when designing the brand's new men's and women's collections. The brand has also teamed up with photographer, Mario Testino, who has continued in the same manner when shooting the ad campaign.

In the shots, Orlando, played by model Jean Campbell, is shown flanked by two men. All the figures are seen sporting clothes from the new collection, much of which are adorned with Elizabethan-era ruffles, while the stark white of the surrounding statues keeps the viewers focus on the heroine.

Of the display, Bailey says: "Just as Virginia Woolf's Orlando is both a love-letter to the past and a work of profound modernity, this week-long exhibition aims to nod both to the design heritage that is so integral to Burberry's identity, and to some of Britain's most exciting creators, and the innovation and inspiration behind their work."