Burberry in major Harrods takeover for February

Burberry is very fond of takeovers — think of all those city activations under the Streets initiative last year — and Harrods is too (remember the Dior Christmas 2022 mega-takeover, among others?) So it’s only fitting that the two have linked up this month.

Beginning Thursday and running until the 29th, Burberry is transforming the luxury department store with a “knight blue takeover”. It means the store will look very different from just a few weeks ago when Harrods went very pink in a link-up with Valentino.

The latest activation showcases its “storied heritage” from outfitting famed explorers to creating equipment for adventurers, with “nature and the great outdoors always a part of Burberry’s DNA”.

The first sign of the link-up is that Harrods’ green exterior awnings have been “reimagined as peeled-back tent canopies in a seasonal Burberry check, whilst windows are decorated with camping components such as guy ropes, draped waterproof fabrics and carabiners”.

At night the store’s exterior will be illuminated in knight blue, the new signature colour of the house that was introduced under Chief Creative Officer Daniel Lee.

Also a very visible part of the event, the Harrods ‘green men’ — its commissionaires — are dressed in the knight blue check, the first time their uniforms have been redesigned by a fashion house.

And as is often the case with such all-encompassing takeovers, food is a part of it too. During February visitors will be able to access a menu of British pastries and hot drinks, available from the Burberry food truck at Door 5 – alongside a dedicated picnic space featuring knight blue benches.

Inside the store, there’s the Burberry Camping Corner, “which offers classic British hiking accessories, including a bespoke knight bottle opener and a hot water bottle. The camping corner will also offer a “limited-edition orienteering map of Knightsbridge in collaboration with Open City charity, and the opportunity to pick up a piece of Romney’s Kendal Mint Cake, a popular confection among explorers and mountaineers”.

Plus there’s a dedicated rainwear space, showcasing “a collection of iconic Burberry trench coats” and aiming to “offer a deeper understanding of the brand’s esteemed legacy and heritage”.

Then, across women’s, men’s and kidswear, there’s a capsule collection of more than 40 Burberry pieces, exclusive to Harrods for February in two new pop-up spaces at Door 6 and Door 9, as well as on the webstore. The offer includes a new Knight bag made from nappa leather, new iterations of the Chess and Rocking Horse bags, the Box sneaker in a new colourway and exclusive eyewear styles.

It’s not just a big deal for Burberry as the partnership “marks the inaugural moment in the celebration of Harrods’ 175th anniversary”.

To mark the occasion, Burberry has customised a run of signature Harrods bears, each wearing a miniature hand-embroidered scarf. There will be 175 bears available exclusively for purchase at Harrods. And it has curated a custom Harrods hamper, which features a “unique camping-inspired offer complete with a limited-edition Burberry picnic blanket in knight blue”.

And the takeover isn’t only for those who can get to Knightsbridge, as it can be experienced virtually in the popular immersive platform Roblox, where the Harrods’ facade has been recreated on the platform for the first time. 

This will be Burberry’s second experience on Roblox, and there’s also a virtual lens in partnership with Snapchat, plus an in-store digital experience that “will give visitors new and exciting ways to interact with the world of Burberry”.