PHILLIP HENNCHE

BURBERRY
‍HE/HIM
LONDON, UK

WORDS BY

CAIT MONAHAN AND SOFIA DE LA CRUZ

Burberry knows a thing or two about innovation. In 2010, the British label was the first to live stream a fashion show. Ten years later, the brand is pioneering an exploration between physical and digital – winning the 2022 Fashion Award for Metaverse World and Gaming Experience and two Webby Awards for its collaboration with Minecraft. The secret to being a royal-approved heritage brand that can also be a modern gamers’ go-to? Phillip Hennche, the brand’s Director of Channel Innovation, holds the key. We speak to him about teaming up with Minecraft and what it takes to create innovative experiences that tell the brand’s story in new and unexpected ways.

WHEN DID YOU REALIZE THE DIGITAL WORLD COULD BE A MEDIUM FOR SELF-EXPRESSION AND HOW DID THAT INFLUENCE WHAT YOU’RE DOING NOW?

I have always enjoyed creating my own digital persona, whether it’s changing my profile picture on Netflix or designing my own character on Nintendo Mii. I remember spending hours on creating my Mii – it looked nothing like me, but I felt it represented who I wanted to be in the Nintendo world. We now live in a time where we need to think about how we want to portray ourselves virtually. I often wonder what the gaming communities I’m part of say about me. Anything you choose becomes a representation of yourself.

Conversation about the metaverse is commonplace now. Some people think of it as a space where we care more about our digital personas than our physical selves. For others, it’s a place that can be accessed only with a VR headset. For me, it’s an interconnected space of things that create new experiences for our world. It’s still an abstract concept that’s constantly evolving, but it certainly opens a new door for self-representation.

"YOU CAN WEAR WHATEVER YOU WANT AND BRING THE THINGS THAT YOU LOVE IN YOUR PHYSICAL WORLD INTO THE DIGITAL. THE COMBINATION OF THOSE TWO THINGS IS EXCITING AND THAT’S WHERE WE WANTED TO GET TO WITH THE MINECRAFT PARTNERSHIP."

YOU’VE SPENT NEARLY SIX YEARS WORKING IN BURBERRY’S DIGITAL DEPARTMENT. WHAT HAVE BEEN THE KEY PIVOTS AND INNOVATIONS YOU’VE SEEN EVOLVE AS FASHION MERGES WITH DIGITAL CULTURE?

At the beginning, digital innovation was just a small part of my role, but now it’s all I do – which demonstrates the importance it has within the company. From a technology point of view, two to four years feels like 20 years. The sheer volume of new technologies and communities that have emerged recently is testament to how important this area is in modern culture now.

Some of these communities have been there for quite a while, but they are starting to reach mass adoption. For example, a few years ago we were talking about how novel AR was in merging the physical and virtual worlds together. Fast forward to today and AR is now an integral part of how people interact on social networks.

We always knew gaming was very important to our customers, so we started out experimenting in this space by building our own gamified experiences. We then looked at the future of gaming: how Web3 can enhance experiences and champion creativity. Currently we are looking at the role fashion brands can play in helping you express your digital self. Now that there are more technologies that can enable that, it has become even more important. You can wear whatever you want and bring the things that you love in your physical world into the digital. The combination of those two things is exciting and that’s where we wanted to get to with the Minecraft partnership. Some of the skins are a twin, but some of them aren’t. Some are informed by the physical world, others by the digital world. It’s all very circular.

WHAT WAS THE CREATIVE PROCESS AROUND THAT CIRCULARITY? HOW DID DIGITAL INFLUENCE THE PHYSICAL AND VICE VERSA?

We started by looking at how we could bring parts of the Minecraft world into the physical world. The flowers and landscapes in the game reflect Burberry’s history of outdoor exploration, so we brought them to life in our capsule collection through printing and embroidery. Some of the stories started in the physical world too, such as our Equestrian Knight motif – which became a starting point for the storytelling and narrative in the game.

We then thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be amazing if we had the capsule collection in the game?’. That is when you start seeing the circularity – in the game you can wear what you can buy physically.

Even our retail experiences see the two worlds coming together now. Though you are in a physical store, and you are touching the clothing, the stage is a digital canvas brought to life through screens.

"I FEEL LIKE ONE’S IDENTITY IS MULTIFACETED AND YOU EXPRESS THE MEANING OF YOUR DIGITAL SELF IN DIFFERENT WAYS AND ON DIFFERENT PLATFORMS. JUST LIKE YOU WOULD IN DIFFERENT ENVIRONMENTS, DIFFERENT COUNTRIES OR DIFFERENT SOCIAL GROUPS IRL."

DO YOU SEE DIGITAL FASHION INFLUENCING PHYSICAL CLOTHING COLLECTIONS IN THE FUTURE?

There is definitely a two-way system of inspiration. For this collaboration, the most exciting thing was transporting some of your physical identity into the digital world. By not having to adhere to the laws of physics, the possibilities are endless. It made us wonder, ‘What does a trench coat look like in a world without gravity? Can it be made of water or clouds? What happens when you move? What happens when you jump? What happens when it is raining? Does it change into a completely different shape?’

On the flip side, some amazing designers have been bringing not-from-this-earth fabrics, designs and movements to the runway that are influenced by the digital world. I think that will continue to be the case.

WHAT CAN WEB3 OFFER TO THE FASHION INDUSTRY IN TERMS OF NEW VALUE SYSTEMS?

I am curious to see what impact the Web3 movement will have on the next generation of consumer’s attitudes and consumption habits. I wonder whether the idea of being able to own something that is not physical will become a widely understood thing. And if so, there will be an important paradigm shift in ownership, which is a very interesting concept for fashion brands. It will open a whole new world of possibility.

As a business, you want to enable people to express themselves and Web3 technology can make that happen. The challenging part is learning to translate physical craft digitally, but there are some amazing digital artists out there that are mastering it already.

WHAT MOST EXCITES YOU ABOUT THE FUTURE MERGE BETWEEN PHYSICAL AND DIGITAL IDENTITY?

I feel like one’s identity is multifaceted, and you express the meaning of your digital self in different ways and on different platforms. Just like you would in different environments, different countries or different social groups IRL. I’m not sure whether both identities are merging into one though. It is more about how there are now more mediums to express different layers or aspects of yourself. If technological advancements allow for more freedom, whatever that future is, it will be incredibly exciting.

"I feel like one's identity is multifaceted and you express the meaning of your digital self in different ways and on different platforms, just like you would in different environments, different countries or different social groups IRL."

If the cyber fashion space has a leader, it is Tribute Brand. Gala Marija Vrbanic, the founder of the label, grew up immersed in video games, which made her realize the power of self-expression through digital assets at a young age.

BURBERRY XMINECRAFT

PHILLIP HENNCHE

CAIT MONAHAN AND SOFIA DE LA CRUZ

16/02/2023

16/02/2023

WHEN DID YOU REALIZE THE DIGITAL WORLD COULD BE A MEDIUM FOR SELF-EXPRESSION AND HOW DID THAT INFLUENCE WHAT YOU’RE DOING NOW?

YOU’VE SPENT NEARLY SIX YEARS WORKING IN BURBERRY’S DIGITAL DEPARTMENT. WHAT HAVE BEEN THE KEY PIVOTS AND INNOVATIONS YOU’VE SEEN EVOLVE AS FASHION MERGES WITH DIGITAL CULTURE?

WHAT WAS THE CREATIVE PROCESS AROUND THAT CIRCULARITY? HOW DID DIGITAL INFLUENCE THE PHYSICAL AND VICE VERSA?

DO YOU SEE DIGITAL FASHION INFLUENCING PHYSICAL CLOTHING COLLECTIONS IN THE FUTURE?

WHAT CAN WEB3 OFFER TO THE FASHION INDUSTRY IN TERMS OF NEW VALUE SYSTEMS?

WHAT MOST EXCITES YOU ABOUT THE FUTURE MERGE BETWEEN PHYSICAL AND DIGITAL IDENTITY?

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