Christoper Bailey will step down from his role at Burberry next year after 17 years with the British fashion house.
In a press statement, the brand announced today that Bailey – the brand’s current president and chief creative officer – will be moving on to pursue “other creative projects.” He’ll remain in his current position until March 31, 2018, when he will step down from the board. He’ll continue to provide his support during a transitional period until the end of 2018.
“It has been the great privilege of my working life to be at Burberry, working alongside and learning from such an extraordinary group of people over the last 17 years. Burberry encapsulates so much of what is great about Britain,” Bailey said in a statement.
Model Edie Campbell, who has starred in several Burberry campaigns and walked in many shows over the seasons, said in an email: “Christopher was one of the very first people I ever worked with, and its been such a pleasure working with him over the past 10 years. He has been completely instrumental in the growth of an iconic British brand.”
Of Bailey’s departure, Burberry CEO Marco Gobbetti said: “Burberry has undergone an incredible transformation since 2001 and Christopher has been instrumental to the Company’s success in that period. While I am sad not to have the opportunity to partner with him for longer, the legacy he leaves and the exceptional talent we have at Burberry give me enormous confidence in our future.”
Burberry has been credited in the past for challenging the traditional fashion model. In 2016, Bailey and Burberry made waves when they presented a collection of male and female looks together, and made some of the pieces available immediately after the show was over.
Bailey’s successor has not yet been announced.