Burberry and Gucci: Two Brands With Something to Prove This Week

Burberry and Gucci, which both show this week, have a lot to prove. Both labels have underperformed their peers for years and are betting on “brand elevation” strategies and designer resets to boost results. So far, they have provided case studies in how hard shifting consumer perception and pushing a brand upmarket can be, especially in a tough market where luxury demand has slowed.

At Burberry, it’s unclear whether the brand can command the price points that Daniel Lee’s looks require or whether the designer can adapt his vision to the label’s current reality. What’s more, while the brand has found some fresh, more elevated ways to tap into the “Britishness” of its DNA, much of what it has released recently has been too niche and complicated a take on what makes Britain desirable for most Burberry shoppers. Will the upcoming show click?

Meanwhile at Gucci, Sabato De Sarno’s palette-cleansing debut in September (an approach that was “mirrored” in his first men’s outing in January) helped put the brand back on the radar, but there wasn’t enough newness to generate the kind of heat the label needs to kick things back into gear. De Sarno’s collections have been precise, sexy and youthful, but have thus far failed to tell a story about what the new Gucci stands for. The designer needs to show he can do more than create desirable clothes. After the Alessandro Michele boom (and subsequent stagnation), what Gucci needs is a more stable but equally desirable brand story.