Riccardo Tisci is an Italian fashion designer who in 2005 was given the title of creative director for Givenchy Women’s haute couture and ready-to-wear lines.
As creative director, Riccardo Tisci brought the style of hip hop fashion together with Givenchy glamour. This drew the likes of Beyonce, Kanye West and Kim Kardashian as well as former Vogue Paris editor Carine Roitfeld, and actresses like Cate Blanchett and Emma Stone, to his shows.
When he left, he was replaced by Clare Waight Keller in 2017, there was some speculation that Riccardo would take over the house of Versace. His outspoken style seemed like a perfect fit. And while Donatella did collaborate with Riccardo on a collection, the rumors of his taking over Versace proved false and after that there was silence.
Today the silence was broken when Burberry announced via press release Riccardo Tisci as their new creative director. This comes after Christopher Bailey’s final show last month where he premiered the Burberry fall/ winter 2018-19 collection.
Naming Riccardo Tisci as Burberry’s new creative director comes as a surprise to many including Vanessa Friedman who posted her shock a few hours ago on twitter.
There is a logical explanation for her reaction. The style of Burberry has always been very upper crust and pristine. It is a brand members of the royal house would wear, and have worn.
But hip hop style is the new modern fashion. It has been on trend and on the catwalks for the past 4-5 seasons. It is what people of all economic backgrounds want to wear whether on the streets, at the gym or into the office. And while hip hop style is popular, it isn’t a style you’d expect Burberry to want to integrate into their heritage brand.
This is a risk. But if Burberry is interested in tapping into the changing market, and clearly they are, there is no one better than Tisci to help them transition. Riccardo Tisci is one of the few proven designers to merge high fashion and glamour with urban fashion into a historically conservative brand.
I want to say that while Christopher Bailey was not the right fit going forward, he saw the house out on a high note. His love letter to the LGBT+ community with a new house check in their honor will forever be a part of the Burberry brand and it is beautiful.
The Fashion Plate Magazine 