Burberry closes London Fashion Week with festival-ready show in Kensington Palace garden

Burberry closed London Fashion Week on Monday by staging its spring/summer 2026 show in Perks Field, the private garden of the Prince and Princess of Wales at Kensington Palace. The regal setting provided a festival-forward backdrop as the house unveiled a collection that leaned into outerwear and a sanitized festival aesthetic. The front row read like a who’s who of music and fashion, anchored by Sir Elton John, 78, who wore a black coat paired with a striking red Burberry scarf. Naomi Campbell, 55, arrived in a green velvet trouser suit, while Twiggy, 76, Alexa Chung, 41, and Iris Law, 24, were among the guests. Presenter Maya Jama, 31, and Bridgerton star Jonathan Bailey, 37, also occupied seats alongside other celebrities and industry figures.

Creative director Daniel Lee leaned into a classic British festival mood, showing silk bomber jackets, glossy raincoats and oversized wax cotton parkas alongside more traditional trench coats in suede, patent and cotton gabardine. The line featured turquoise leather pieces and a bold green-and-red house check, all designed to evoke a field where style meets practicality. Burberry has long framed rain as an opportunity to showcase outerwear, and the show underscored that ethos with a lineup that could be worn in a modern festival setting, echoing a Reading- or Glastonbury-inspired vibe while remaining covetable for city use. The brand also integrated several looks that suggested a more rugged, festival-ready elegance, even as the pieces remained unmistakably Burberry in finish and silhouette.

Attendees extended beyond the front row staples to include Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, 38, who arrived on the arm of Jason Statham, in a leather trench that complemented the collection’s glossy, weather-ready mood. Singer Raye, 27, was in the mix alongside Ab Fab stars Jennifer Saunders, 67, and Joanna Lumley, 79. The show also drew in sports figures such as tennis player Jack Draper, 23, and former footballer-turned-commentator Ian Wright, 61, illustrating Burberry’s ongoing appeal to a broad, global audience. Rounding out the night were fashion insiders and editors, including Anna Wintour in the crowd, underscoring the brand’s prominence on both sides of the Atlantic.

On the business side, Burberry has faced challenges in recent months. In May, the company disclosed the loss of about 1,700 jobs, nearly a fifth of its workforce. Shares have since doubled in value, lifting the brand’s market capitalization and contributing to a roughly £4.5 billion valuation. Management attributed the rebound in part to a renewed emphasis on British heritage and high-profile collaborations, coupled with a willingness to lean into the house’s weathered aesthetic as a distinctive selling point in a competitive luxury market. The show’s reception suggested that, even after a difficult period, Burberry remains capable of delivering a confident, festival-inspired vision that resonates with global consumers while reinforcing its core identity.

The London Fashion Week narrative for Burberry also reflected a broader shift within the British fashion ecosystem. The event marked the first week overseen by Laura Weir, the British Fashion Council’s new chief executive, who presided over a schedule that included designers Simone Rocha, Erdem, Roksanda and Richard Quinn. The culmination of the week with Burberry underscored how heritage brands are negotiating recent upheavals by pairing nostalgia with contemporary appeal, a strategy that appears to be paying dividends as the label looks to sustain momentum into the next season and beyond.