The fashion house will explore British life in an exciting new photography show.
Dafydd Jones, Magdalen Commemoration Ball, Oxford, 1988 c Dafydd Jones
Dafydd Jones, Magdalen Commemoration Ball, Oxford, 1988 c Dafydd Jones
Following two especially standout performances – first with the arrival of Makers House and a collaboration with The New Craftsmen in 2016, then in February with Henry Moore: Inspiration & Process – Burberry again precedes London Fashion Week with an exciting announcement: this time photography fans need prick up their ears.
Arriving at the house’s new show venue on 18th September, photo exhibition Here We Are will run until 1st October, exploring “the British way of life” through work from over 30 of the 20th century’s most prized social and documentary photographers.
If you’re thinking this has Martin Parr written all over it, you wouldn’t exactly be far off; his lens is amongst those that’ll be championed (alongside Shirley Baker, Karen Knorr, Ken Russell and Charlie Phillips), selected by curators Christopher Bailey, Burberry’s President and Chief Creative Officer, Lucy Kamara Moore and Alasdair McLellan, the latter pair director of famed London book shop Claire de Rouen and photographer, respectively.
(LEFT) Alasdair McLellan, Belfast, 2005 c Alasdair McLellan
(RIGHT) Ken Russell, In Your Dreams, January 1955 c TopFoto_ Ken Russell
Alasdair McLellan, Belfast, 2005 c Alasdair McLellan
Ken Russell, In Your Dreams, January 1955 c TopFoto_ Ken Russell
“When we started thinking about curating Here We Are, I knew I wanted it to celebrate a certain strand of British photography that I have always loved – one that documents the many and varied tribes and clans and classes that make up this island of ours,” explains Bailey.
“I have long been enchanted by British ‘social photography’,” offers Kumara Moore for her part. “Photography that reveals the ways in which we live, work, dream, celebrate and challenge, both individually and collectively. I was therefore honoured to be invited by Christopher to curate this exhibition with him – he has such a deep personal interest in the work and his idea to host this exhibition reflects the brand’s expansive approach to the relation between fashion and visual culture.”
Taking place across three floors in the rooms of Old Sessions House (the aforementioned new show space, get to know), Here We Are will be divided into several themes, each an aesthetic showcase for a particular British lifestyle trait. Elsewhere Burbs and McLellan are set to partner up for a new portfolio project, the results from which are coming to an Instagram feed near you soon.
Martin Parr, O’Connell Bridge, Dublin, Ireland, October 1981 c Martin Parr _ Magnum Photos _ Rocket Gallery.
Martin Parr, O’Connell Bridge, Dublin, Ireland, October 1981 c Martin Parr _ Magnum Photos _ Rocket Gallery.
