At his debut show for Burberry earlier this year, Yorkshire-born designer Daniel Lee – previously of Bottega Veneta – said that his vision for the historic house hinged on ‘showing a positive side of Britain to the world’. ‘There is great music here, great theatre, great art,’ said the newly installed creative director after the show. ‘That’s something I missed in recent years and that’s what I’m trying to celebrate.’
A new project, revealed today, looks set to do just that. Marking his first major collaboration at the house so far, Lee will create costumes for Wayne McGregor’s latest work for The Royal Ballet. The lauded British choreographer – currently the resident choreographer for the company – has not yet named this latest work, though today’s announcement says it will be set to music by Icelandic composer Anna Thorvaldsdottir and take place over a single act.
Burberry to collaborate with The Royal Ballet
Burberry creative director Daniel Lee
Premiering 9 June 2023 at London’s Royal Opera House, the work will also feature lighting design by Lucy Carter and set design by Cuba-born American artist Carmen Herrera, who passed away in 2022, aged 106. It marks McGregor’s 20th work for The Royal Ballet and follows his revival of ‘Woolf Works’ in March 2023.
‘For this extraordinary Royal Ballet project with the late, great minimalist artist Carmen Herrera, we dreamt of collecting together a stellar team,’ says McGregor. ‘Daniel Lee, an artist with unbridled imagination, is creating work of innovation, motion, and piercing beauty. And with his exceptional passion for all forms of dance, he felt like a natural ally. Together, with the Burberry team, we are working on something truly special – honouring Carmen whilst forging our own evolutionary path.’
Resident choreographer at The Royal Ballet Wayne McGregor
‘It is such a pleasure, and of course an honour, to collaborate on this extraordinary project with so remarkable a team,’ adds Lee. ‘It’s always been a dream to create costumes for dance which is such a passion of mine.’
Tickets for the performance will go on sale 13 April 2023, available from the Royal Opera House’s website.
-
Year in Review: we’re always after innovations that interest us – here are ten of 2025’s bestWe present ten pieces of tech that broke the mould in some way, from fresh takes on guitar design, new uses for old equipment and the world’s most retro smartwatch
-
Art and culture editor Hannah Silver's top ten interviews of 2025Glitching, coding and painting: 2025 has been a bumper year for art and culture. Here, Art and culture editor Hannah Silver selects her favourite moments
-
In Norway, remoteness becomes the new luxuryAcross islands and fjords, a new wave of design-led hideaways is elevating remoteness into a refined, elemental form of luxury
-
The breathtaking runway sets of S/S 2025, from beanbag animals to a twisted living roomWallpaper* picks the best runway sets and show spaces of fashion month, which featured Bottega Veneta’s beanbag menagerie, opulence at Saint Laurent, and artist collaborations at Acne Studios and Burberry
-
Gary Hume on creating Burberry’s medical-green show set, which revisits the artist’s 1990 work ‘Bays’Gary Hume opens up to Wallpaper* about collaborating with Daniel Lee on the show set for the designer’s S/S 2025 Burberry show, which took place this afternoon (16 September 2024) in the Brutalist lobby of London’s National Theatre
-
The A/W 2024 menswear collections were defined by a ‘new flamboyance’Sleek and streamlined ensembles imbued with a sense of performance take centre stage in ‘Quiet on Set’, a portfolio of the A/W 2024 menswear collections photographed by Matthieu Delbreuve
-
In fashion: the defining looks and trends of the A/W 2024 collectionsWe highlight the standout moments of the A/W 2024 season, from scrunched-up gloves and seductive leather ties to cocooning balaclavas and decadent feathers
-
Women’s Fashion Week S/S 2025: what to expectNext week sees the arrival of Women’s Fashion Week S/S 2025, with stops in New York, London, Milan and Paris. Here, our comprehensive guide to the month, from Alaïa’s arrival in New York to Alessandro Michele’s Valentino debut
-
The moments fashion met art at the 60th Venice BiennaleThe best fashion moments at the 2024 Venice Biennale, with happenings from Dior, Golden Goose, Balenciaga, Burberry and more
-
A/W 2024 beauty moments from the runways, as selected by Wallpaper*We recap stand-out A/W 2024 beauty moments from the runways, including JW Anderson, Chanel, Hermès, and more
-
London Fashion Week A/W 2024: JW Anderson to BurberryThe very best of London Fashion Week A/W 2024, from nosy neighbours at JW Anderson to Daniel Lee’s celebration of the great outdoors at Burberry
