LFW: Anna Wintour and Lady Amelia Windsor attend Burberry show but is the designer brand still chavvy?
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London Fashion Week celebrates its 40th anniversary after it was first launched in 1984.
British fashion house Burberry showcased its new Spring Summer collection for 2025 on Monday (September 16). The fashion clique and a whole host of celebrities flocked to the LFW catwalk show as London fashion week celebrates 40 years.
Vogue Editor-chief Anna Wintour arrived wearing her signature sunglasses and wrapped in a Burberry scarf. Lady Amelia Windsor opted for a more low-key look with cream outfit. Actress Patsy Kensit and socialite Emma Weymouth both wore the classic trench coat and model Cora Corre wore a tartan shirt dress.
Whilst actress Poppy Delevingne, model Iris Law and TV presenter Miquita Oliver all wore different versions of the brands classic tartan design. Irish actor Barry Keoghan and menswear model David Gandy were also spotted arriving at the runway show.
Chief Creative Officer Daniel Lee hinted at a change in direction for Burberry after the designer brand had seen a decrease in profits over the past few years. According to The Guardian Chief Executive Joshua Shulman is expected to attempt to take Burberry to a wider audience, meaning a lower price points and more ready-to-wear collections instead of avant garde.
The brand saw a huge low during the noughties after its famous tartan check design was copied and worn by the ‘chav’ society - people who would wear knock off versions of the brand. The luxury designer brand has spent years trying to shake off the ‘Chav Check trend’ and negative association.
Despite the celebrities still wearing the brand and it still being one of the most prestigious British brands in the UK, seeing Anna Wintour wearing the Cashmere check scarf £420 makes her look like a stereotypical ‘chav’. Model Cora Corre’s Burberry shirt dress cost £1290 but screams poor taste.
It seems the classic tartan design - no matter who is wearing it - will never be able to completely shake off the chav reputation. The bad news is if you do have enough money to splurge on Burberry, you will need to avoid the yellow check design as it will always look like a fake version of the designer brand.
I personally love Burberry as a luxury fashion brand and its heritage. However I also admit my most cherished possession when I was 15 was my fake Burberry check bag because it was given to me and I would never have been able to afford the real thing.
But I also never realised how detrimental fake versions were to the brand. Now you would never see me with a fake Burberry bag - mostly because I still can’t afford it but also because the tartan design is still seen as being chavvy.
Natalie Dixon is NationalWorld’s Lifestyle reporter. If you liked this article and want to read more about soaps, celebrities and lifestyle you can follow Natalie Dixon on X here.