CHRISTOPHER BAILEY: CREATIVE DIRECTOR AND FORMER CEO AT BURBERRY

CHRISTOPHER BAILEY: CREATIVE DIRECTOR AND FORMER CEO AT BURBERRY

ABSTRACT

Christopher Bailey, now the former president and creative officer at Burberry, left a 17- year legacy at the heritage of the British Brand. He was only 46 years old, credited into transforming the British Heritage Brand into a powerhouse and pioneering the label digitally. Christopher, through the transformation of London Fashion Week into attracting top editors, celebrities, models, and other talents, hence turning London into a global fashion hub. Through the help of sites such as fashion, a report done explicitly by Par Libby Banks on November 3, 2017, we get to understand the many deals that paved the way to the market success of the 145, year-old company, Burberry since 2001 when Christopher Bailey arrived as a design director. The primary purpose of this report is to understand the achievements’ of Christopher Bailey, how he brought success to the dangerously diminished company, and some of the traits we could emulate from him.

Information supplement

Challenges

Conclusion.

Introduction to the company

Burberry is most known for its iconic trench coat and scarves, and a few know the founder. Thomas Burberry founded the Burberry brand at his tender age of 21 years old in the year 1856, and in the 20th century, the brand was able to cement its legacy. Its headquarter is at Haymarket in London since 1891. Burberry has been a leading and compelling fashion brand. By the 1920s, the brand signatures that were recognized as trademarks were the equestrian knight logo and black, camel, and red Nova check. In the 1950s, the trench coats made by the Burberry now seen at the silver screen. The famous Audrey Hepburn, Marlene Deitrich, and Humphrey Bogart also got to wear the trench coats. The evolution of Burberry has now taken over the following sectors; Burberry Brit, Burberry Prorsum, and Burberry London. Burberry formations are a traditional British style and modern flair.

Burberry’s mission and duty.

                        Burberry, a luxurious brand is internationally recognized with a network that is distributed worldwide. The company’s mission is to observe the high integrity of the brand as they also continue to highly develop the business in its relevancy to the evolution of the market and the diverse tastes of the consumers. This fashion brand focuses on the trench-coat distribution, ready- to- wear outwear, accessories, fragrances, cosmetics, and sunglasses. Burberry focuses on the following values:

1. Culture

Burberry culture is diverse, open, and inclusive, and all perspectives are valued. Diversity means all cultures, nationalities, races, religions, and ethnicities are valued and respected. At the headquarters in London, about 60 nationalities are represented.

2. Diversity

The representation of women in the executive committee is high compared to senior women. This is according to Hampton Alexander review in 2018, whereby Burberry was named a top performer.

3. Leadership

Building capabilities and engagement driving is Burberry’s primary focus. The senior employees globally are responsible for the delivery and organization of strategic goals.

Burberry’s status in the industry

The relationship between Burberry and stakeholders

Burberry has developed an understanding of the luxury fashion consumer, and the brand tries its best to understand how best it can meet all the needs of the consumers through analysis, research, and support from the external. During the second annual global meeting in the year 2018, 90% of their employees took part in which ]]ere provided to enhance customer services to our clients and increase the market of Burberry’s products. Commitments to ensure that the employees at Burberry are developing and growing delivered through tools and services, and in the year 2018, the Burberry AGM attended, and resolutions that best suited the stakeholders passed.

Christopher Bailey

Christopher Bailey, 46 years of age and the former chief creative officer and president of Burberry, was the man responsible for the transformation of the heritage from a social status into a global status fashion powerhouse. Christopher joined the company in 2001 as a design director. At that time, the brand dangerously diminished; he was able to turn the brand into the largest luxurious brand with sales above # 3.7 billion annually. Christopher Bailey, together with CEO Angela Ahrendts, were able to conduit British fashion and design through Burberry to the world. He worked with renowned actors, musicians, and other significant artists to make known his message through fashion into cultural leadership. Mr. Bailey was among the designers who embraced a digital age, and this made Burberry a leading and followed the company on FTSE 100.  Jonathan Saunders, a Scottish designer and a creative director of Diane Von Furstenberg, explained that Mr. Bailey in the sector of fashion, he has made a massive influence in the years he was at the Burberry Company. Bailey Christopher, during his times of reign at the Burberry, was able to reinforce Burberry heritage through buying of the license and centralizing the designs. He was able to invest in England through workshops and products that made which were long-lasting and beautiful

Burberry Manger’s job and duties

Christopher Bailey revived Burberry craftsmanship. The revived products included the trench coats. Before the reign of Christopher, these products sold on discount. Still, Christopher reinforced this issue through the buying back of the licenses and centralizing designs, especially for the trench coat, to make it central to the brand storytelling.

Burberry trench coat made a must-have. Bailey’s greatest and most remembered achievement was the transformation of the old trench coat that was also very fusty into a modernized fashion that is very classic. With careful guidance from Mr. Christopher, the trench coat became a necessity in a woman’s wardrobe

London fashion week was back on the map. Alexander McQueen, Stella McCartney, and Vivienne Westwood, among the significant British designers, moved their shows to Paris.

Digital innovation in the luxury sector, Bailey realized the power of the internet to build the brand as well as to market the products at Burberry, because social media has been an anathema to the luxury industry. Through social media, Burberry opened to a greater audience.

Expansion of products into China.

Through Bailey, a lucrative market for the brand, Burberry was china,  through a collaboration with Kris Wu, a musician, and an actor, he became the first brand ambassador in China. Store expansion and social media became savvy, and through this, it was able to reach Chinese millennial influencers.

Christopher Bailey managerial strategies.

Christopher sought to build a culture that is diverse and focused on the evolution of strategies that we’re able to recruit and develop talent to promote cultural values within the business was done through training to all employees on the building of an environment that is inclusive. The expansion of scholarship programs to students who were top-notch in their various fashion schools. Support continually for the LGBTQ+ community by nominating senior leaders in the community. This strategy was formulated to raise global awareness in fostering culture and in the sense of belonging. Leadership strategies were also strengthened through launching the new development in the leadership program, which was to be completed by all employees as soon as they were recruited into the Burberry Company.

Challenges

Fashion is voracious in its hunger for newness. Burberry lost its ability to thrill. In the year 2009 after Bailey was named the British designer of the year. In 2014, Bailey faced a backlash of events, together with his powers, into a figured dual role as a designer and a CEO. Many questioned if he was capable of carrying out the two functions, and they insisted on him choosing one tittle.

Conclusion

Finally, it is worth considering Mr. Bailey Christopher, since 2001, after joining the Burberry, he was able to make the business luxurious. Despite the many challenges he faced, such as he never got a raise during his time as the president at Burberry, he portrayed explicit hard work. He was able to take Burberry into higher heights, that it becomes a leading brand in the united kingdom.