Cape Reimagined At Burberry Makers House

For the first time ever I missed London Fashion Week. My second work placement had priority and with priorities come sacrifices, right? Nevertheless, I didn’t miss the best part of it, ‘The Cape Reimagined’ exhibition at the Burberry’s Makers House that I had the chance to visit on its last day in London. In case you missed it, keep on reading to satisfy your fashion eye.

The Makers House

The Burberry Makers House located at Manette Street opened for a week only on February 21st and closed with the 27th. The travelling exhibition that has Paris, Tokyo and Los Angeles on its route, provided visitors with an unforgettable experience and left room for explorations. At the same time, it gave me a sneak behind the curtains of the so disclosed Burberry world, that I have experienced until that day only from afar.

The Makers House atmosphere was difficult to describe but I found it to be dark, mysterious but beautiful at the same time. Once past the entry, the exhibition started off with Christopher Bailey’s inspiration behind the February collection showing famous work by British artist Henry Moore such as elemental sculptures and maquette. Although I don’t have a great art knowledge I could see a repetition of shapes used in the design of the 78 couture capes displayed in the main room. The ones that I was struck by the most were made out of unique materials such as shells, woven metal and glass. The effort and amount of detailed work were clearly evident in each cape and gave them a truly outstanding and extraordinary appearance.

Christopher Bailey had been an admirer of Moore for many years and chose the artist because of his “human, soft (and) approachable” sculptures. As seen in the pictures below, the design process was well elaborated throughout the venue and showcased multiple sketches in frames and swatches.

“Each one is a unique collector’s piece incorporating unexpected materials and intricate techniques.”

Christopher Bailey

Besides the cape collection visitors could see the February collection too that was zig-zag displayed in the other half of the main room. The collection was a mixture of both, history and elegance. With many fabrics being used for each look I was fascinated by the art of layering, as each look still appeared soothing on the eye and very much smart casual. I believe layering is a tricky skill that needs to be developed over the years. If it’s done wrong it can look quite chaotic and overdone.

To sum up the exhibition, location and experience: I really fell for the location, that was rustic and very much factory look-a-like. Especially the black brick walls were eye-catching and were a nice contrast to the delicate capes. The ‘Cape Reimagined’ exhibition was by far the best I have seen this year. If you’re planning a holiday to any of the future stops of the travelling show, put it on your list!