These Burberry Bags Capture That British Charm

For Burberry chief creative officer Daniel Lee, home is definitely where the heart is. Since coming on board in March last year, the Yorkshire-born designer has intrepidly and artfully suffused elements of Britishness throughout the collections of the London-based luxury house. Recurring motifs, for example, reference national symbols while the use of tartan has become a mainstay. The brand’s own legacy makes it in itself a British icon: Founded in 1856, it invented gabardine (the gold standard of waterproof fabrics that could only be perfected in a place known for its rainy weather) and made the trench coat a part of the everyday lives of the British people. Created in 1901 through a public competition, the company logo known as the Equestrian Knight Design (or EKD, for short) can thus be said to be yet another emblem of British identity – and Lee has been quick to prove how it lives up to Prorsum, the word etched into the banner hoisted by the knight figure in it. It’s Latin for “forward”. Here, FEMALE and the label spotlight the latest It bags that draw on this heritage yet are wholly next gen’s cup of tea.

THE SHIELD

Trust Daniel Lee to find inspiration in the protection device wielded in Burberry’s EKD logo and come up with one of the British label’s most original bag designs (and we all know his knack for turning abstract shapes into hit bags). The result is an upturned, gently curved trapezoidal shoulder bag that makes for an edgy-yet-elegant alternative to the ever-trendy pochette. An oversized and detachable bell-shaped charm ups the quirky-cool factor.

THE PEG

Little word has been put on this cushy hobo that’s anchored by a life-sized metal version of the fastener after which it’s named, but does it matter? Coupled with an all-over tartan exterior and this handy, day-friendly style is just too-cute.

THE ROCKING HORSE

Reinterpreting the equestrian roots of the EKD with the inventive imagination of a schoolboy, Daniel Lee presents a delightfully playful saddle bag that moves back and forth on its structured base just like its namesake toy when nudged. Its metal hardware that comes in the unexpected form of a lowercase “B” adds both modernity and youthfulness.

THE KNIGHT

A spacious, softly structured bag named after Burberry’s EKD logo that would appeal to Gen Zs with its relaxed, pragmatic chic and multi-wear design. A metal horse-shaped clip (another nod to the EKD) not only serves as statement hardware, but can also be attached to either the D-ring on the side or the oversized metal loop on the corner. Doing the former transforms it into a foldover-style shoulder bag; the latter – an even more spacious, shoulder-slung tote.

Photography Athirah Annissa Art Direction Jonathan Chia Production Assistant Danessa Tong Location and Props British Hainan

This article first appeared in the Dec 2023 This Great City Edition of FEMALE