Burberry Will Sell Its Runway Collections Immediately

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While the CFDA is studying the implications of changing the fashion calendar to something that's more consumer-focused, Burberry is yet another brand that's just going for it.

The British fashion house is making drastic changes to its runway shows, replacing its current four-show calendar with two seasonless shows starting in September 2016.

Everything will be available to purchase in-store and online immediately, and ad campaigns will also roll out right after the collections have been presented on the runway.

The February show and the September show will feature both womenswear and menswear collections. There will be no separate Burberry menswear shows, but Burberry is working on developing some sort of presence at London Collections: Men.

For Burberry chief creative and chief executive officer Christopher Bailey, all these moves are about getting closer to a global audience of shoppers. He said in a press release:

The changes we are making will allow us to build a closer connection between the experience that we create with our runway shows and the moment when people can physically explore the collections for themselves. Our shows have been evolving to close this gap for some time. From livestreams, to ordering straight from the runway to live social media campaigns, this is the latest step in a creative process that will continue to evolve.

This decision builds on Burberry's recent consolidation of its diffusion lines, and the brand's willingness to experiment with Snapchat and other social media tools. Other brands like Rebecca Minkoff and Thakoon have announced similar fashion calendar plans, but Burberry is the largest house to embrace consumer-focused runway shows.

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