Acclaimed Yorkshire fashion designer Daniel Lee made creative director for Burberry

Mr Lee, who was previously creative director for Bottega Veneta, is to take over the role from October 3 following the departure of Burberry’s current creative director Riccardo Tisci.

The announcement follows news last Friday that Burberry’s well-respected chief financial and operating officer, Julie Brown, is leaving next April after six years to join drugs giant GSK as chief financial officer.

It leaves only recently appointed boss Jonathan Akeroyd with a changeover in two of the firm’s most senior roles in the second big shake up at the top in a year.

Mr Akeroyd took over as chief executive in April after leaving Milan-based Gianni Versace.

His predecessor Marco Gobbetti quit earlier this year after around five years in the job and part-way through a plan to reposition Burberry.

Mr Akeroyd is now tasked with helping recover Burberry sales to pre-pandemic levels, having seen its rebound held back by Covid-19 restrictions in China – a key market for the business and across the luxury clothing sector.

Chairman Gerry Murphy praised Mr Tisci for his “inspiration for Burberry’s transformation”.

“We will build on this creative platform during the next phase of Burberry’s evolution under Jonathan’s leadership,” he added.

Mr Akeroyd said Mr Lee “is an exceptional talent with a unique understanding of today’s luxury consumer and a strong record of commercial success, and his appointment reinforces the ambitions we have for Burberry”.

Mr Lee attended Dixons City Academy in Bradford before going onto Central St Martins College in London, following in the footsteps of the likes of Vivienne Westwood and Alexander McQueen. His award-winning work since then has seen him described as the ‘Quiet Radical’ by Vogue.

In November 2020, Mr Lee – the son of a mechanic and an office worker - told a BBC podcast that his inspiration to become a fashion designer came from his grandmother.

“As a kid, my nanna, she was someone I spent a lot of time with when I was growing up and I spent a lot of time at her house, kind of making things on the carpet on the floor, cutting up, making a mess.

“She was very patient, and I guess creativity almost started then, it was almost this kind of distraction, this outlet. I had many ideas about what I thought I could have been, I went to quite an academic school and I definitely enjoyed school and I enjoyed studying. I think being from the North, generally this value and this idea of working hard, is really instilled within us and I think everything somehow seemed possible."