Burberry Blends IRL And CGI With New TB Summer Monogram Collection And B Surf

If there’s one positive that’s come out of this year, it’s how many creatives are pushing boundaries to continue to, well, create. Instead of letting iso put a complete moratorium on their art, they’ve worked together to get creative, developing their own worlds that blend reality and fantasy in the process. 

Pushing the limits of creativity in iso and taking on 2020’s biggest (and permissible) leisure activities — surfing, gaming, and connecting with digital versions of our friends — in the process, Burberry has launched their new TB Summer Monogram Collection with a multidimensional campaign and their latest adventure in gaming, B Surf (which we’ve been playing all morning since it went live late last night). 

The game was created by Burberry’s in-house digital team and gives players the opportunity to style their characters in looks from the collection, then race on a surfboard through a TB-shaped racing track. Along with the individual Time Trial option, there’s a Challenge Mode that allows you to connect with and race your friends, no matter where they are. And if that weren’t enough, the prizes in the game also cross over IRL, with daily raffles for the next two weeks giving us the chance to win limited-edition pieces.

The TB Summer Monogram collection pieces featured in the game — including the latest It accessory, the limited edition TB surfboard made in collaboration with Euroglass — are available to buy IRL, too (if you’re one of those people who froths over their Animal Crossing ‘fits, you’re going to be extra excited here). 

It’s the second TB Monogram collection drop we’ve seen from Burberry — the brand’s updated TB logo, designed by Chief Creative Officer Riccardo Tisci and British graphic designer Peter Saville was unveiled in August 2018, with the first collection drop debuting last May, featuring tonal shades of Burberry beige and brown — and this latest one features a refreshed colour palette of dark beige, azure blue, graphite, and cobalt blue with orange accents for beachy summer looks we’re obsessing over.

The womenswear pieces include dresses, sandals, and swimwear, alongside casual and luxe pieces like pussy-bow blouses, leggings, silk scarves, espadrilles, and bodysuits, with the menswear range featuring hoodies, swimwear, shirts, shorts, and sneakers, although many pieces are unisex. “The collection is all about celebrating the strength of the duality of feminine and masculine energy, blurring the lines and exploring this notion of youthful expression,” explained Tisci.

The brand also took a look at sustainability where possible, through the use of e-canvas — an environmentally conscious material made using renewable resources — in the season’s bags, totes, and pouches, and in their approach to the design and campaign.

To capture the collection’s energy through the campaign, Tisci merged the real and unreal worlds yet again and tapped frequent collaborators, photographer Nick Knight and stylist Katy England, along with Saville, to help him do it. The team worked together, in iso no less, to create visuals that capture “the journey from reality to fantasy, blending the rawness of real-life capture with the fantasy of CGI technology,” as described by the brand in a press release.

England styled “part of it on paper and the other part at home with the help of my sons” and then communicated with Tisci and the rest of the team, who used technology to coordinate with each other throughout every step of the process. “It is fascinating to see what is possible with technology,” said England. “CGI is a very different process and brilliant since it allows people to come together virtually from all parts of the globe.” This was especially crucial in the making of the campaign since the team was working remotely due to the pandemic. 

The result is a video “set in a dreamlike CGI geometric world inspired by skateparks and swimming pools” that embodies “the free spirit and optimism of summer.” Kendall Jenner stars in this CGI fantasy realm, taking on four distinct roles, all while wearing both menswear and womenswear pieces from the new collection. 

While games and fashion can, at times, seem frivolous — especially in light of our global health pandemic and the social justice issues facing many communities on a daily basis — they are still powerful tools for connection, creativity, and communication. Plus, fashion and gaming are fun, and with everything that’s been happening in the last few months, having fun is self-care — which we all know is very important, too.