Lee certainly has the fashion qualifications to lead the 166-year-old British fashion house. Following stints at Maison Margiela and Balenciaga (then headed by Nicolas Ghesquière), Lee worked alongside Phoebe Philo at Céline at the height of the French brand’s influence. But he truly made his mark in fashion at Bottega Veneta, where he served as creative director from 2018 to 2021.

Lee’s effect on Bottega Veneta was nothing short of a runaway success: he revived the Italian fashion house by reinterpreting its heritage, most notably its intrecciato weave, through a contemporary and Instagram-friendly lens. The bags and shoes that he introduced, in particular, were approved by the fashion crowd—what with their striking colours, shapes and textures. During Lee’s three-year tenure, Bottega Veneta regularly landed on fashion search platform Lyst’s data-driven reports of the most in-demand fashion brands and products.

At Bottega Veneta, Lee wasn’t just a money-making fashion designer, but an award-winning one. In 2019, he bagged four accolades at the Fashion Awards: Designer of the Year, British Designer of the Year Womenswear, Accessories Designer of the Year and Brand of the Year.

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One can easily see Lee working the same magic on Burberry, perhaps by launching cult-favourite accessories that play with the brand’s iconic check, or somehow reimagining Burberry’s trench coat as a trendy, must-have wardrobe piece that would go viral on Instagram and TikTok (much like a particular Miu Miu set).

It helps that Lee already has a coterie of celebrity fans to support him, such as Kendall Jenner, Dua Lipa, Hailey Bieber, Rosie Huntington-Whitley and Burberry ambassador Irina Shayk. Like his predecessor Tisci, Lee also has connections with the cool creatives of London’s music scene that have recently populated Burberry’s fashion shows, including rappers Stormzy and Skepta. Even under Lee’s direction, Burberry’s star-studded front row might not change much.

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Perhaps another case to make for Lee’s compatibility with his new role is simply the fact that he’s British. The 36-year-old grew up in Yorkshire, which happens to be the English city where Burberry creates its signature trench coats. Lee could prove to be better versed in expressing the house’s British heritage and tapping onto the youthful, eclectic heart of London’s fashion scene than Tisci.

As an Italian native, Tisci’s outsider perspective of Britishness—including surface-level nods to London’s style subcultures, outdated visions of the English lady and gentlemen, and both combined—were somewhat less convincing on Burberry’s runways.

And while Lee has said that he intends to continue Tisci’s legacy, here’s hoping that he... doesn’t. Instead, just as he previously revitalised the fashion world with New Bottega, it’s time for him to introduce New Burberry.

This article was first published on September 28, 2022, and last updated on 6 February, 2023.

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