Gen Z has been doing its best to bring low-rise trousers back, and now Burberry has given them the high fashion seal of approval.
Ultra low-rise trousers populated the British heritage brand’s spring/summer 2025 collection, shown in the halls of the Brutalist National Theatre building on London’s South Bank.
The opening look felt like business as usual for creative director Daniel Lee, who was showing his fourth collection at the helm of the brand, since taking over from Riccardo Tisci in 2022.
The simple menswear look featured a white deconstructed trench coat, paired with grey trousers and statement purple shoes. Playing around with trench coats has become a mainstay of Lee’s tenure at Burberry so far, but he soon stepped into new territory.
A more utilitarian edge than we’ve ever seen at Burberry ran throughout the clothes, giving them a more streetwear-inspired vibe.
The base Burberry garments were there – sharply tailored jackets, trench coats and trousers – with plenty of straps, buttons, zippers and buckles added into the mix.
The colour palette was predominantly neutral, with camels, creams, blacks and greys galore, and the odd pop of colour – a flash of lilac in footwear, or a burst of yellow in a scarf tied around a neck.
The neutral colours emphasised this utilitarian aesthetic – some models wore belted camel coats with matching cargo trousers, looking like they were about to step off the runway to fly a plane.
And then there was, of course, the low-rise trousers, giving the collection a youthful edge.
This is by no means the first time the style has appeared at London Fashion Week – the late designer Alexander McQueen popularised ‘bumsters’ in his 1993 collection – but it feels incredibly fresh for a traditional brand like Burberry.
Gen Z has been making the case for low-rise trousers on TikTok for months, and now Burberry is bringing them to the luxury market.
Among the more utilitarian outfits were some flashes of fun – like the floral pattern that cropped up, or the sparkling backless halter-neck dress that closed the show.
But ultimately, this felt like a wearable collection – one that Lee is no doubt hoping will fly off the shelves, particularly in light of the luxury retail slump.
Earlier this month, Burberry was kicked off the FTSE 100 after 15 years on the UK’s top stock market index, with its share price dipping by around 50% over the past six months.
Key to Burberry’s comeback will be its ability to sell accessories – and there were plenty of them for potential customers to choose from. One particularly eye-catching piece was the large hobo-style bag models had slung over their shoulders – which could only be described as ‘ludicrously capacious’, a term that went viral about a Burberry bag featured in TV show Succession last year.
Elsewhere, small, sparkly bags were statement pieces to rival it-bags like Fendi’s baguette style, and Lee seemed to be taking inspiration from Noughties eyewear with huge, bug-like sunglasses covering models’ faces.
Lee took a brief bow at the end of the show – accepting applause from the A-list front row, which included the likes of actors Barry Keoghan and Olivia Colman. But it remains to be seen whether this utilitarian collection will help boost the brand’s faltering share prices.
