The United Kingdom’s Queen Elizabeth II ascended to the throne in February 1952, making 2022 her 70th year as leader of the British monarchy. As Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations go into full swing this 5 June with the Platinum Jubilee Pageant, luxury brand Burberry has already launched a number of special initiatives to celebrate the landmark occasion.
Burberry is an official platinum partner of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Pageant — a four-act parade that will see a combination of street art, theatre, music, costume and more. Aside from the pageant itself, Burberry has also partnered up with various organisations to bring the Platinum Jubilee celebrations around London and beyond, with nuanced references to its own heritage.
The most visible of these is part of Superbloom. Partnering up with Historic Royal Palaces — a charity organisation that looks after unoccupied royal palaces in the United Kingdom — Burberry is the lead sponsor of the Superbloom project, a new landscape designed in the moat surrounding the Tower of London. Burberry’s contributions to the project extends it beyond the historic site to the River Thames where an outdoor installation was moored directly across from the Tower of London.
The Burberry Floating Meadow was a 374-square-metre, zero-waste installation that celebrated the flora and fauna of the English river ecosystems. Comprised of over 5,000 plants — many of which are often found on English riverbanks — the floating meadow highlighted the importance of preserving the natural biodiversity as a way of tackling the climate crisis. And there was definitely no missing the Burberry logo splashed across the middle of the meadow.
Another extension of Superbloom spearheaded by Burberry is the Burberry Art Wall. In partnership with digital artist Jon Emmony, the installation (running until 18 September 2022) is located at the entrance of Superbloom at the Tower of London and is an artistic representation of a utopian world. “For the Superbloom artwork, I took inspiration from the detail of Elizabethan tapestries and textile design, and visualised nature unfolding across these wide scenes. Throughout my work, I utilise 3D and CGI techniques to render a version of reality. In this case, I wanted to take the beauty of British wildlife, flora and fauna, and imagine it coming to life and thriving in a world where technology and nature coexist,” says Emmony of his creation.
The theme of British flora and fauna is also part of a commemorative scarf that the brand has designed in honour of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. Yew trees, bluebells, butterflies and squirrels are paired together with birds that represent each of the four British nations — a robin for England, capercaillie for Scotland, sparrowhawk for Northern Ireland, and a golden eagle for Wales. The hand-illustrated silk square scarf is available online and in select stores globally. Burberry stores in London will also feature the scarf on store flags and windows for the duration of the Jubilee celebrations.
Last but not least, the brand has also partnered up with the next generation of young creatives. A workshop was hosted by the brand at Leeds’s Armley Park Primary School earlier in the year, inviting students to create original artworks as tribute to the Queen’s landmark year. These artworks have been enlarged and displayed on bus stops throughout Westminster, a short distance away from the Platinum Jubilee Pageant’s route.
These initiatives — as grandiose as some of them may be — are further amplified with Burberry’s commitment to making change and impact in its activities.
The artwork campaign with Armley Park Primary School is an extension of its funding program that helps transform library spaces in 10 selected schools most in need of safe environments and resources. Armley Park is one of the beneficiaries. Burberry also donated to the Woodland Trust — UK’s largest woodland conservations charity that’s committed to the creation, protection and restoration of woodland areas — during the creation of the commemorative silk scarf.
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One of the original artworks by young creatives from Armley Park Primary School displayed at a bus stop.Image: Burberry. -
One of the original artworks by young creatives from Armley Park Primary School displayed at a bus stop.Image: Burberry.
And if you’re wondering if the Burberry Floating Meadow seems performative, Burberry has emphasised that every element of the installation was responsibly sourced, such as the 1.4 tonnes of recycled river plastic used to construct it. Post-event, the entire installation will be either reused, repurposed or recycled. Volunteers will also be tasked to replant all the plants that are part of the floating meadow into local community projects.