Last summer, Burberry took over The Newt in Somerset for a celebration of the ‘great British summer’. Cue sun loungers, golf buggies and a hot air balloon in the British fashion house’s signature check – even the 2,000-acre Somerset estate’s manicured croquet lawn had been cut into the motif.
For summer 2026, Burberry is heading further afield, leaving behind the fickle British climate (The Newt takeover ran with the playful tagline, ‘whatever the weather’), and heading towards the sun-soaked shoreline of the south of France. There, creative director Daniel Lee has put his stamp on the historic Hôtel Belle Rives in Antibes, just along the coastline from Cannes on the Côte d'Azur.
Burberry takes over Hôtel Belle Rives for summer
Founded in 1929, the art deco landmark began life as a guest house before being expanded into the current hotel, with early guests including F Scott Fitzgerald, who wrote part of his final novel Tender Is the Night at the then-Villa St Louis. Retaining much of its original 1920s decor, Hôtel Belle Rives – which features the Michelin-starred La Passagère and Fitzgerald Bar – is perhaps most notable for its terrace and jetty, where guests can sunbathe or swim in the Mediterranean waters.
It is here, in the ‘beach club’, that Burberry’s influence is most felt, its sun loungers and parasols reimagined in navy blue Burberry check, evocative of Hôtel Belle Rives’ signature hue. The motif also features across the hotel’s interiors – including with the original 1920s lift – while custom ‘Burberry Cap d’Antibes’ logos replace the jetty’s signage, as well as appearing across the back of the terrace’s deck chairs.
Elsewhere, expect Burberry-branded ice lollies, as well as a roster of activities organised by the house across the summer, including jetskiing, which was purportedly invented in Juan-les-Pins in the 1930s (Hôtel Belle Rives is situated in the historic resort, one of the various holiday spots on the Cap d’Antibes).
It is one of the various initiatives from the British house, which is perhaps most associated with the drizzly autumn and winter months, to put its stamp on the summer season. These also include a collaboration with swimwear label Hunza G (first founded in 1984, it was relaunched by Georgiana Huddart in 2015 and has developed a cult following), as well as a Ryan McGinley-shot High Summer campaign starring Simone Ashley and Tom Blyth at a British lido, a traditional outdoor swimming pool.
‘A lido holds a particular kind of nostalgia for the British,’ Lee said at the time. ‘The moment the sun comes out, we make the most of the weather. We wanted to bring to life a warm summer’s day spent in and around the water with friends.’
Burberry’s Hôtel Belle Rives takeover runs until 30 September 2026.
Hôtel Belles Rives, 33 Boulevard Edouard Baudoin, 06160 Antibes, France.