What do you mean Burberry is doing better thanks to festivals? Waterproof jackets and rain boots have driven sales for the brand, but not only that

The fate of Burberry is changing. A year after the announcement of a new CEO, a role passed from Jonathan Akeroyd to Joshua Schulman in July 2024, the fashion house has regained the trust of analysts and investors: although sales are still negative, three percentage points have been recovered in the past twelve months, and the stock has risen by 66% on the stock market. The new strategy promoted by CEO Schulman focuses heavily on a broader offering, with more accessible bags and accessories alongside outerwear worth thousands of dollars, and a consumer-focused marketing plan – not to mention that, last spring, the company laid off 20% of its global workforce, leaving 1,700 people unemployed. Thanks to advertising centered on the bourgeois English aesthetic and the iconic Burberry check, long a part of its DNA, the brand won over the audience at Glastonbury in the last quarter, achieving the best sales results in the past 18 months.

Boots, scarves, and rain jackets have become the brand’s flagship items this summer, thanks to a festival crowd of Burberry check fans who geared up for their favorite events. Sales, up by 4%, have soared not only in England, but also throughout Europe and the Americas, while they continue to decline in Asia. But Burberry’s success among major summer festival audiences is no accident: at the beginning of the month, the brand launched its summer campaign set at Glastonbury, featuring a cast that included intergenerational pop culture icons like Goldie, Seungmin, Loyle Carner, Chy Cartier, John Glacier, Cara Delevingne, Alexa Chung, and the entire Gallagher dynasty with Liam, Lennon, Molly, and Gene. On the brand’s website, you can browse the selection called Burberry Festival to get ready for open-air concerts with your favorite artists. And while the focus is on less expensive bags (with prices still starting at 800 euros), an investigation by Vogue Business reveals that in the past three months, the price of the classic Burberry Tote has increased by 12%.

The strategy adopted by Schulman for Burberry mirrors the approach he used at Coach, a brand much loved by Gen Z and still shielding its owner Tapestry from the crisis. Campaigns featuring idols of the new generations and a generally nostalgic feel made up the perfect cocktail to attract Gen Z to Coach, and the same is happening at Burberry, which pairs new faces with the old-world charm of the house’s check, even in its swimwear collections. According to the Guardian, Schulman confirmed that the company is targeting both mature VIP customers and younger luxury consumers through pop-ups and DJ sets at malls and festivals. The fashion house plans to launch up to 200 “scarf bars” within its stores, to encourage purchases of scarves and foulards (which are more accessible than apparel and leather goods). «We are appealing to a much broader range of luxury consumers,» said the CEO, referring to both longtime adult customers and new, younger ones with high budgets and eccentric tastes.