Burberry Theatre Makes Runway A Virtual Reality. [Tangent Magazine]

As part of the new ‘Retail Theatre’ concept, Burberry customers will now be able to enjoy the atmosphere and energy of the brand’s runway shows in their favourite Burberry flagship store.

Burberry ‘Retail Theatre’ is a technological revolution that will allow the brand to stream their runway shows directly to 25 flagship stores in 15 countries across the globe, creating the very first live, worldwide and simultaneous fashion show.

The first show to be broadcast at a ‘Runway to Reality’ in-store event will be Burberry’s SS/11 women’s collection, showing in London on September 21.

Customers at ‘Runway to Reality’ in-store events will first explore Burberry’s collections using iPads and a Burberry application built exclusively for this purpose.

Following their discoveries on the sleek iPads, customers will then go on to enjoy a private viewing of the Burberry runway show on screens so big with sound so sharp that it will feel almost as fabulous as sitting front-row in London.

And do you want to know the best bit?

Customers at the in-store events, and also at Burberry Online, will be able to immediately purchase their favourite pieces from the show and have them delivered to their doorstep in just 7 short weeks.

This means customers can have their very own piece of Burberry heaven before the collection even hits the stores.

Christopher Bailey, Burberry Chief Creative Officer, admits that the brand has been developing digitally charged in-store ‘Retail Theatre’ environments for months, hoping to create the ultimate experience for modern luxury consumers.

For Bailey, ‘This concept allows us to broadcast our multi-faceted content all over the world, creating a modern and pure brand environment. Customers at the exclusive in-store digital events will experience the clothes, the music, the energy and the atmosphere in real time.’

These events represent an amazing, global incorporation of every aspect of the Burberry brand – Burberry Online, old-fashioned, in-store Burberry as well as the exclusivity of Burberry live on the runway.

Burberry has long been at the forefront of online luxury fashion, but the ‘Runway to Reality’ in-store events add a unique dimension to the online experience for their customers.