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The Burberry trench coat might be 170-years-old, but you wouldn’t know it judging by the heritage label’s latest London Fashion Week show.
As is normal for a Burberry fashion show, trench coats permeated the runway – but the spring/summer 2027 catwalk saw Creative Director Daniel Lee play around with colours, materials and embellishments, giving the originally utilitarian garment a fresh, modern and youthful look.
A pale pink trench with a bubble skirt set the tone for the show (Ben Whitley/PA)
This was seen in the very first look that was sent down the runway for the SS27 collection: a whimsical pale pink trench coat, complete with a puffed bubble skirt and oversized arms.
The show coincides with the opening of a free exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) South Kensington, celebrating 170 years of the Burberry trench coat. The Burberry Trench: Crafting an Icon tracks the history of the style – its combination of fashion and function, all the way up to more modern interpretations of the silhouette.
The show took place at the Chelsea College of Art in London (Ben Whitley/PA)
The brand’s founder, Thomas Burberry, developed the durable, weather-resistant material gabardine in 1879, becoming known for his protective outerwear made from the fabric. The trench coat initially started life as military clothing, before making its way into civilian wardrobes.
There are certain elements which are seen across different styles of trench coats – particularly details retained from its more practical origins, such as epaulettes, storm flaps and buckled cuffs. Burberry has become synonymous with a beige-coloured trench, but British designer Lee has shown it can be so much more than a neutral overcoat – but the main event.
Trenches were bright and colourful across the collection (Ben Whitley/PA)
He experimented with colour, seen in butter yellow trench coats (unusually paired with a lilac lipstick), as well as styles made from bright greens or oranges, heavily embellished with floral detailing.
Flowers were a common theme across the collection – hardly unusual for a spring/summer show, but refreshing for Burberry, a brand that traditionally relies on block colours and its heritage nova check print. Floral prints were splashed across peasant-style smocked dresses and blouses, and provided embellishment for some of the collection’s more statement coats.
Central Cee wore a streetwear-inspired look to walk the runway (Ben Whitley/PA)
And it wasn’t the only way that Lee played with print, introducing a new multi-coloured circular face motif across bags, jumpers, coats and more. This fit with Lee’s more relaxed, streetwear-inspired vision for the heritage brand: particularly seen in the outfit modelled by rapper Central Cee, who walked the runway in oversized jeans, worn with a blue hoodie and a two-toned jacket on top.
The accessories were just as fun as the clothes. Models wore oversized, 70s-inspired sunglasses with thick frames, as well as floral brooches and bag charms trailing to the floor.
A colourful face motif was introduced on the runway (Ben Whitley/PA)
But even with these forays into pattern and print, Lee always returned to the trench. Traditionally, designers tend to close the show with their most formal and elaborate look – often a red carpet-worthy gown.
However, Lee instead used his closing look to fully express his laid-back Burberry aesthetic – relaxed and fully centred around the trench. A model closed the show wearing a cream coat embellished with yellow flowers, paired with neutral trousers and white sneakers.
The renewed focus on Burberry’s best-known product comes as the British luxury house’s turnaround gathers pace under Chief Executive Joshua Schulman. Its Burberry Forward strategy has put heritage signatures including trench coats, scarves and the Burberry check back at the centre of the offer, while sharpening the brand’s appeal and cutting costs.
Burberry returned to profit in the year to 28 March 2026, reporting pre-tax profit of £49 million against a £66 million loss a year earlier, on broadly flat revenue of £2.42 billion. The recovery continued into the first quarter of FY27, when retail revenue reached £455 million and comparable sales increased 5%.
Lee’s latest collection also builds directly on a category already gaining commercial traction. Outerwear delivered double-digit sales growth in the quarter, with heritage rainwear among the strongest performers, underlining the trench’s role not only as a creative hallmark but as a key engine of Burberry’s wider recovery.