Making the best of a canceled in-person fashion month, Burberry has announced it will debut its spring/summer 2021 collection via a Twitch live stream, making Burberry the first fashion house to partner with Twitch for a virtual fashion show.
On Burberry’s Twitch account, the brand posted a 23-second trailer teasing the show, which will be streamed live on September 17, the first day of London Fashion Week, at 12:30 p.m. BST, or British Summer Time. The teaser marks the first video from the fashion house, whose Twitch account has 480 followers.
“Burberry has always been a brand of firsts and partnering with Twitch continues this legacy,” Burberry chief marketing officer Rod Manley said.
Manley’s words aren’t merely press release fluff. In 2010, Burberry became the first luxury brand to livestream its runway show—in 3D to five global cities and streamed to the rest of Burberry fans through 73 websites including Vogue, CNN and Grazia. During a 72 hour-window right after the event, people could buy the shearling jackets from the show.
Burberry’s virtual Twitch event comes just two months after the brand teamed up with WeChat’s parent company, Tencent, to open a tech-enabled social retail store in Shenzhen, China. Digital touchpoints including a WeChat mini program and a digital animal avatar enable shoppers to earn in-store rewards and unlock exclusive content.
The immersive store concept is gaining traction among luxury brands. In August, Lancôme opened a virtual flagship store in Singapore that offers skincare enthusiasts artificial intelligence-powered skin consultations and customizable products via a machine.
