Daniel Lee’s Burberry debut was the highlight of February’s London Fashion Week. From the punk twists on the heritage house’s archive, to the cheers of Stormzy and Jodie Comer sitting in the front row, it was a promising start for a man who already has the reinvention of Bottega Veneta on his CV.
As for Burberry’s next act? The ballet. It was announced on Wednesday that Lee will work with The Royal Ballet’s resident choreographer Wayne McGregor to create the costumes for his still-unnamed new show. This is set to hit the boards on June 9 and run for around a week.
While we are yet to learn the title, we do know that the performance will consist of one act. This will be scored by Icelandic composer Anna Thorvaldsdottir, and with a set by the late Cuban-born American artist Carmen Herrera.
“It is such a pleasure, and of course an honour, to collaborate on this extraordinary project with so remarkable a team,” said Lee. “It’s always been a dream to create costumes for dance which is such a passion of mine.”
In doing so, Lee joins a host of the most celebrated designers in creating costumes for the stage. Coco Chanel famously made the looks for the Ballets Russes’ ‘Le Train Bleu’ in 1924, while Gianni Versace outfitted the cast of Richard Strauss’ ballet Josephslegende in 1982. More recently, Erdem MoralıoÄlu, Stella McCartney, Iris Van Herpen and Riccardo Tisci represent only some of the top creative directors who have worked on memorable, high-fashion ballet moments.
Wayne McGregor has expressed his appreciation for this designer collab. “Daniel Lee, an artist with unbridled imagination, is creating work of innovation, motion, and piercing beauty,” he says. “With his exceptional passion for all forms of dance, he felt like a natural ally.”
The question remains — will Burberry’s signature nova check make it to London’s Royal Opera House stage? We will wait with anticipation to find out.
