Runway success: A touch of Retail Theatre

London – Consumers will be able to touch and buy Burberry’s womenswear spring summer 2011 collection fresh off the catwalk at the Burberry Retail Theatre event later this month.

Creative director Christopher Bailey will invite customers across 15 countries to Burberry stores that have been customised with enhanced acoustics, touchscreens and video walls. ‘We are opening up high fashion to everyone,’ Bailey tells LS:N Global. ‘And if they don’t buy the designs there and then, they might turn into customers in the future.’

It is the fourth time consumers have been able to watch live streaming of Burberry’s fashion shows and buy the clothes immediately. This time, however, consumers will be able to experience the music, the clothes and the energy in real life and then buy the clothes from a custom-built Burberry app. ‘If the content is done properly, high fashion will never lose its exclusivity,’ adds Bailey.

This is a great example of how a brand can merge the online with the live. As we explore in our forthcoming Conviviality Culture report, consumers are increasingly demanding to experience events in real life.