May, 15: Burberry will relaunch its Thomas Burberry collection in the UK this fall, but it's steering clear of its own boutiques, and looking to attract a new sort of consumer.
"It will be very different from everything else we are doing at Burberry. It's design driven, not fashion-based. It's very down to earth. It's non-fashion fashion," explained Burberry's creative director Christopher Bailey in an interview with media. Up until now, Thomas Burberry has been limited to Spain and Portugal, which it was produced under license. However, following the acquisition of that license last year, Burberry decided on a more ambitious development for the collection.
The house has already sold the collection to the trade and begun inviting in press for editorial coverage. Consumers in the UK get their first look at it in August 2003, when it will hit the racks in such leading department stores as Harrods, Selfridges, Harvey Nichols, and in specialty retailers like Cruise, Flannels and Urban Outfitters. After Britain, Burberry plans to role out the collection in continental Europe.
Expect a novel advertising approach, and forget about ads in Vogue and Elle. To reach a younger demographic, Bailey is considering ads in skateboard and music magazines, along with edgier titles like ID and The Face. Shot in April in London, new name photographer Barnaby Roper helmed the Thomas Burberry campaign.

Bailey sees Thomas Burberry competing against collections like Polo from Ralph Lauren and Marc by Marc Jacobs.
Targeted at male and female consumers in the 18 to 25-year-old bracket, and priced one-third cheaper than the London collection, Thomas Burberry for fall/winter 2003 is designed around a series of key outerwear looks -- densely woven wool or sturdy canvas detailed with industrial hardware closures and insignia badges. Other elements are military-inspired sweaters, blazers, striped shirts, rugby jerseys, jeans and mini skirts. Accessories include rucksacks, backpacks, knit hats, flat caps and signature mufflers. The line will bear the flag logo on which is printed 1835, the birth year of founder Thomas Burberry, and avoid the house's trademark plaid.

"We have had a lot of interest from retailers for more denim and jeans and we realized we didn't want to take our existing collections in that direction. After a lot of discussion we felt we were missing something and that Thomas Burberry made sense for the whole Burberry world," Bailey added.
Burberry, which last year posted sales of nearly $730 million, does not break down sales by region or collection. Thomas Burberry did open a flagship store on London's Regent Street in 1996, but this was shuttered when new management under CEO Rosemarie Bravo took over in the late '90s. There are currently no plans to open any separate Thomas Burberry boutiques.
Bureau Report