The Henry Moore: Inspiration & Process exhibition is showcased in Makers House, an impressive warehouse space with staggeringly tall ceilings, white-washed walls and exposed wooden beams. Initially, this space doesn't sit very cohesively with my preconceptions of the Burberry brand; yes, craftsmanship is a key value, but I had been of the opinion that luxury, lavishness and British heritage all outweighed that. The exhibition really opened my eyes to the significant process of craft applied to the Burberry brand and ultimately, the setting complimented my new-found appreciation.
The layout of the exhibition space is structured effectively in a reverse-chronological order, beginning on the ground floor with 'The Cape Reimagined' which consists of 78 couture capes hanging from the ceiling or placed on mannequins around the edge of the room. With the majority hanging in two long lines down the length of the warehouse space, the public get a unique chance to weave through the garments leisurely and up-close as they spin gently from side to side. A visually impressive hardback book which showcases the entire collection is available to browse through and purchase at Maker's House, as well as online via the Burberry transactional website. The relationship between the work of Henry Moore and the final couture pieces is prevalent; the inspiration taken from Moore's use of shape is communicated in the collection's shapes: from the exaggerated cuffs to the abstract, deconstructed jackets and clean minimalist lines. Some of the key pieces which stood out to me as symbolic of the entire collection included a twenties-esque heavily sequin-embellished shawl-style cape adorned with feather shapes, an astonishingly constructed piece made from a length of silver rope, twisted, weaved and plaited into a unique armour-like cape and a bodice made of sea-shells which featured exaggerated curves and negative space.
Having explored the AW17 runway presentation, again formatted in two rows down the length of an adjacent room, I was greatly inspired by the fact that I was freely allowed to touch and interact with the garments which last week, had only just been photographed at London Fashion Week, worn by iconic models and lusted over by front-row guests. On the second floor, reached by a spiral staircase, the exhibition explored the inspiration and creative process of both Henry Moore and Christopher Bailey respectively. Having already viewed the connection between Moore's sculptures in Burberry's latest runway and couture collections, it was extremely insightful to take a step back to see the inspiration process begin in the form of line drawings, tools, basic models, swatches and polaroid photos. I gained the sense from the exhibition that the curators' priorities had been in developing a strong relationship between the artists and the public. As to be expected given Burberry's innovative and interactive brand strategy, footage was projected on walls and cassettes from the archives were played through headphones around different stations of the exhibition. In addition, virtual reality was a notable feature which granted visitors insiders-access to the collection and it's progression. A 'Portrait Studio' allows visitors to leave with their own personalised images, said to 'immerse' them into 'the world of the new runway collection', shared online and printed physically to amass a perception of exclusivity while broadcasting the event to the masses. 
While the exhibition space - and perhaps even the choice of collaborating with a semi-abstract sculptural artist - initially seemed ill-fitting, it became clear that the thought process, experimentation and creative vision of these two champions of British design is extremely complimentary. I am now so appreciative of the curative decisions of this exhibition that I was extremely disappointed to read about plans to knock down the Makers House building. I feel that this building has housed history in the making for one rainy week in February 2017 and it is certainly a shame that its legacy won't live on, as Burberry's legacy has survived since its establishment in 1856. Burberry does things on a large scale. The brand's notability in pushing the boundaries of luxury fashion, its decision to pioneer the See-Now, Buy-Now system, its combination of mens and womenswear down the runway and its impressive flagship store and stores worldwide truly are all iconic. As iconic, perhaps, as the large-scale and breathtakingly symbolic sculptures of Henry Moore, who arguably leave art-appreciatists as in awe as a fashion student and aspiring fashion professional is left by coming face-to-face with the latest Burberry collection just a week after its release to the world.
The Henry Moore: Inspiration & Process exhibition at Burberry's Makers House, London is available to the public for free from 21st - 27th February 2017. Located on 1 Manette Street (W1D 4AT) in the heart of the Soho district, it comes highly recommended.
Henry Moore Foundation & Burberry
24th February 2017
Makers House, 1 Manette Street, London, W1D 4AT
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