# Celia Birtwell brings humanity to Burberry's checks

> The textile designer's florals and doodles soften the luxury brand's graphic identity in a one-off London fashion week collection.
- Title: Celia Birtwell brings humanity to Burberry's checks | Shortify
- Summary: The textile designer's florals and doodles soften the luxury brand's graphic identity in a one-off London fashion week collection. Designer Celia Birtwell…
- Keywords: celia birtwell, burberry, daniel lee, london fashion week, textile design, spring-summer 2027, joshua schulman, luxury fashion, news, world, Celia, Birtwell
- Source: the Guardian — https://theguardian.com/fashion/2026/sep/21/celia-birtwell-burberry-london-fashion-week-closing-show
- Published: 2026-09-21T21:30:07+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: celia birtwell, burberry, daniel lee, london fashion week, textile design, spring-summer 2027, joshua schulman, luxury fashion, news, world
## Two British treasures meet
Burberry designer Daniel Lee met textile designer Celia Birtwell this spring and fell for her energy and zest for life. Their one-off collaboration closed London fashion week.

> her energy, and her zest for life
## Softening the signature check
Birtwell hand-painted a less regimented version of Burberry's graphic check. Lee said she made it more human, which matters for luxury purchases that are emotional, not necessary.

> She made the check more human.
## Archived doodles become prints
A doodle of round, Smartie-bright smiley faces from Birtwell's archive, drawn twenty years ago but never produced, became a print for the spring-summer twenty twenty-seven collection.
## Burberry's turnaround gains pace
Burberry reported its first revenue growth in three years this summer, with retail sales rising five percent year-on-year in the second quarter. Chief executive Joshua Schulman steered the brand through crisis years.
## Outerwear becomes the focus
Burberry is zeroing in on the outerwear market, where British heritage is a trump card. For this collection, trenches came in slinky silk taffeta with puffball hems and ruched collars.
## V and A displays Burberry's trench legacy
Burberry is staging a display at the V and A museum in South Kensington until January third. The Burberry Trench: Crafting an Icon includes a nineteen thirty-nine military overcoat and designer Hardy Amies' own trench.
## Key takeaway

Designer Celia Birtwell collaborated with Burberry on a spring-summer twenty twenty-seven collection that softened the brand's signature check with hand-painted florals and archived smiley-face prints.