Burberry has just announced that "to stimulate customers with new deliveries and frequent communications", it will release on the 17th day of every month a piece from a limited edition collection, which is valid for the number of products and availability. The first of these B Series, is a selection of unisex white t-shirts and jersey sweatshirts with the new monogram "TB" (a nod to the founder of the brand Thomas Burberry) in red, was launched a few days ago and the next, again a secret, will be unveiled on November 17th.
So far nothing strange. The new strategy fits perfectly into the contemporary marketing trend, intended on emulating, focusing on the equation "scarcity of products equal uniqueness, luxury and elite", the capsules that have made the success of brands like
Supreme. What should be highlighted, however, is the recurrence of the number
17. Along with the color black, a love for street style and Bambi, the figure is one of the trademarks of
Riccardo Tisci, new creative director of the British fashion house that, pointing out another "coincidence" has replaced
Christopher Bailey who resigned after 17 years in the same role. On the other hand, the Italian designer has repeatedly stated: 17 is his lucky number. He was that age when he left his family to study fashion in London, starting a career kissed by success. He has never explained the reason for the love for the sum between 10 and 7, but has added many times in his creations for
Givenchy (remember the t-shirts "17 Lucifer" or "17 Pervert"?), @ Riccardotisci17 is his official Instagram account and decided to make his debut with his first Burberry show on September 17th at 7pm. If in Italy, the juxtaposition of 1 and 7 is a symbol of iella (a jinx), it is not so in Great Britain, nor for the Jewish Kabbalah where it coincides with the creation of the Universe or for the corresponding card of the tarots, "The star", a symbol of a good omen. In the fashion industry, the fact that Tisci is a superstitious and spiritual man is a well-known fact, so much so that it is rumored that, during his job at Givenchy, he threw salt into the corners of buildings to remove negative energy.
Given that with his talent and perhaps a pinch of divine assistance, he has made the house earn over 500 million euros, Burberry decided to support the "philosophy" of its creative director in the hope of having the same happy fate. Does planning a brand with more than $ 3 billion in annual sales according to a designer's superstitions seem too eccentric to you? Perhaps, but, as popular wisdom says, "I do not believe it, but you never know".
