Why Riccardo Tisci Chose Dover Street Market To Launch His First Burberry Collection

It’s a new dawn, a new day, a new story both for me and for Burberry,” Riccardo Tisci told Vogue in an exclusive interview in the February issue. “I want to sustain the Burberry heritage, but I also want to go with the times, with modernity." The designer's choice of stockist to launch his inaugural spring/summer 2019 collection is indicative of this. On February 15, the opening day of London Fashion Week, an edit will go on sale at Dover Street Market.

Why the detour past Burberry's Regent Street flagship, which, as it happens, is just a hop, skip and a jump from DSM's Haymarket home? The building was the original headquarters of the brand almost a century ago, and thus ties in neatly with Tisci's mantra to mix the old and new. "We're pleased to be a part of the next chapter for this storied British house," DSM vice president Dickon Bowden explained to Vogue. "Seeing such an iconic brand adapting and changing is always interesting."

Indeed, there are clear parallels between the leader in British luxury and the disruptive multi-brand retailer. "Being able to offer a unique point of view is very much aligned with DSM values," shared Bowden. Tisci's first campaign, in which he asked six photographers to share their perceptions of the brand, "is reflective of the collaborative and creative spirit of DSM," he continued.

Added to this, the "Kingdom" collection pays tribute to eclectic subcultures across Britain, from streetwear kids to city boys, because “that’s what fashion should be: every age, every culture, every lifestyle”, said Tisci. From his reworks of the beige trench to the monogrammed silk blouses and scarf prints, the DSM buy (featured below) is a concentrated edit that epitomises this ethos. Shop it first at 18-22 Haymarket and pick up a slice of history, too.