The Knight Returns At Burberry

We're talking about the equestrian knight logo that was retired from the British house in 2018 – but now resurrected by Daniel Lee.

It ain't Burberry without the knight? Credit: Burberry

By Imran Jalal, 7 Feb 2023

After wiping out content from its Instagram and TikTok accounts a few days ago, Burberry has posted a series of Instagram images to unveil new chief creative officer (CCO) Daniel Lee’s vision for the brand. The first order of the day: the debut of a new logo for the house.

The new branding encompasses a new typeface in an elegant serif typeface and the reintroduction of an archival equestrian knight motif that has been used by the house for more 100 years — only to be retired in 2018 by then CCO Riccardo Tisci who had his own rebranding exercise during his time at the helm. True to Lee's penchant for colour – the way he made chroma green synonymous with Bottega Veneta during his prior stint at the Italian label – the new house colour for Burberry is an electric Yves Klein-esque blue.

The refreshed logo and the return of the archival knight emblem seem to point to a taste for heritage and classics at Burberry under Daniel Lee. The designer's full vision for the house will be revealed during London Fashion Week on Feb 20, where he will be presenting his debut collection for Fall/Winter 2023.

Burberry

The horse-mounted knight has been a hallmark of the British heritage house since the turn of the 20th century. Known as the Equestrian Knight Design, the motif was based on a winning entry in a public competition to design a new logo for the brand, circa 1901. The biggest comeback, however, would be the incorporation of the word “prorsum” into the knight motif. Latin for “forward”, it was the name given to Burberry’s diffusion line of wardrobe classics that ceased to exist in 2016 when then CCO and chief executive Christopher Bailey subsumed the line into the main collection.

To unveil the refreshed brand identity, Lee roped in his favourite collaborator, the photographer and filmmaker Tyrone Lebon, to lens some friends of the brand for a campaign shot around London. Scroll on for a peek at the famous faces fronting the campaign which include musician John Glacier, British model Liberty Ross and brand ambassador Jun Ji-hyun.