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The ones to watch?

By: Elizabeth Hands on April 22, 2013 @ 3:48 pm

A little known actress and musician have been chosen to front luxury brand Burberry’s new ad campaign. Up-and-coming actress Gabriella Wilde is paired with singer Roo Panes in  cinematic-style black-and-white shots by superstar photographer Mario Testino. But the shoot is for the British heritage brand’s autumn/winter 2012 collection. And it would seem that the two almost celebrities could well be the real thing by then.

Wilde has just been cast in the big-screen remake of Stephen King’s Carrie along with Chloe Moretz and Julianne Moore and singer-songwriter Panes is not only appearing in the new campaign, he has written and recorded its official soundtrack too, which he has called Indigo Home.  Wilde starred in her first film St Trinian’s 2: The Legend of Fritton’s Gold in 2009, aged 20, and she’s now landed one of Hollywood’s most coveted roles. Directed by Kimberley Pierce, who also made Boys Don’t Cry, the film will feature Moretz in the lead role, with Wilde expected to play one of her tormentors.

Burberry’s chief creative officer Christopher Bailey said: “We wanted to play with everything that’s at the heart of the Burberry world, celebrating our brand and London through imagery, film, music, weather and our iconic outerwear, all in a very poetic and British way.” Burberry, which has its headquarters in London, was founded in 1856 and both the Queen and The Prince of Wales have granted it Royal Warrants. It is best known for its covetable trench coat, a true classic that never goes out of fashion, which was invented by founder Thomas Burberry.

The brand was hit by a downturn earlier in the noughties when it became popular with Chavs, and D-list celebrities.

But, by concentrating on the unmistakable quality it provides, Burberry’s reputation is back where it belongs – in the stratosphere. Thanks to a fashion-forward approach, A-listers and Royality are now proud to be seen in Burberry once more. And, the fashion house is embracing modern times – it was recently named the world’s most successful luxury fashion brand when it comes to social media. Burberry now has more than 10 million Facebook followers and 700,000 people following its tweets.

Facebook and Twitter fans have been given sneak previews of the atmospheric images for the autumn/winter collection which were all shot at the Royal Naval College in Greenwich, London. And while they’re all in black-and-white, taking the emphasis away from Burberry’s classic beige, red and black check, there’s no mistaking its traditional styling with a modern twist.

The latest campaign carries forward Burberry’s desire to represent young, fresh British talent. Wilde and Panes follow in the footsteps of Harry Potter actress Emma Watson,  Tara Ferry, son of the legendary singer Bryan Ferry and My Week With Marilyn actor Eddie Redmayne to name just a few of the up-and-coming young people featured so far. It would seem an appointment with Burberry is a sure fire sign of success.

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