Burberry’s Fall 2010 ad stars model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley.  Whiteley is also the new female lead in the Transformers franchise, she replaced Megan Fox.   The campaign was shot by fashion photographer Mario Testino whose job was to capture the “energy of [the models] jumping out of the page,” says Burberry’s chief creative officer, Christopher Bailey.  Viewers now have the ability to control how they view the campaign images, they can now zoom in on specific areas.   Bailey explains that they want people to have an experience when viewing these 3-D images.  “I want anyone who sees the campaign not just to see images, but to feel a part of what we have created; connecting people through technology, music, the collections, the attitude, and the emotion captured.”

Emma Watson is starring in Burberry’s spring 2010 ad campaign and she is joined by her brother Alex.  Emma is all grown up, and is a long way from Harry Potter.  Burberry’s creative director Christopher Bailey was going for a ‘cool’ vibe in this campaign, and I would say, ‘mission accomplished’! 

Ms. Watson is a combination of brains and beauty, the 19 year old attends Brown University when she is away from her day jobs.  Famed fashion photographer Mario Testino was called upon to bring Bailey’s vision to fruition.  Burberry continues to be relevant in the 21st century because of it’s willingness to adapt with the changing the times.  The actress is an astute choice in keeping on that path to the future; she is fast becoming a young style icon in her own right.

Supermodel Claudia Schiffer attended the British Fashion Awards in a Peter Pilotto design.  She speaks glowingly about new British designers, and their wealth of talent.  When asked about her rumored fashion line, the model explained she was not ready to announce anything at this time.  She did, however, say that any fashion line would have her fashion sensibilities; striking the right balance between overdone and underdone before leaving the house.  Her personal style was on display in her vintage jewelry selection for the evening.  The big winner of the night was the creative head at Burberry, Christopher Bailey, who won designer of the year.  The British Fashion Awards is a good start for Ms. Schiffer to socialize with her soon-to-be colleagues.

Burberry wants to do for shoes and bags what it’s done for the trench.  That is a good thing for the company’s bottom-line as well as its customers in terms of variety.  During these challenging financial times, leather goods have been the savior of many fashion houses.  “There is a huge momentum in this sector (of leather goods),” says Bailey.  Their new emphasis is especially important now that Burberry has reported a profit loss of over $90 million dollars during the first half of the year.  Accessories currently make up a third of the company’s revenues; shoes, bags and belts will be taking on a much larger role.  The shift is among other changes that were recently announced, namely the promotion of Christopher Bailey from creative director to chief creative officer.  It looks like Burberry is making all the right moves to maintain the 153 year old house’s relevance in the 21st century. 

Burberry to expand in shoes and handbags [Reuters]

Burberry Profits Slide 24 Percent [WWD]