Kim Gehrig Directs Burberry ‘Festival’ Film, a Tribute to Cool Britannia

While the ad industry is over-indexed on nostalgia, Burberry leaning into the concept for its festival campaign just feels right. Maybe it's because going somewhere like Glastonbury always delivers on being an experience like no other, updated for the modern times (a phone charging tent!) yet portending a primal, mud-filled weekend with every passing cloud. It’s like Alexa Chung says in the Cool Britannia tribute film, “Festivals always have a sort of light Portaloo note in the air and then, of course, the sweet smell of excitement.”

Directed by Kim Gehrig and production from Somesuch, the film leans into the grittiness that makes a British festival with snapshots of off-duty fans and headline acts, all mixing to enjoy the music and the vibes. Amid the featured talent are Liam Gallagher, Goldie, Seungmin, Loyle Carner, Cara Delevingne, plus the next generation of Gallaghers: Lennon, Molly Moorish-Gallagher, and Gene.

The aesthetic is undeniably ‘90s, drawing on archival footage mixed with stylised shots showcasing the spirit of a festival, set to a soundtrack of Liquid’s rave-era classic ‘Sweet Harmony’.

“Burberry has always been a part of the fabric of the UK… you see it [Burberry check] on the underside of a hat or the inside of a jacket. And then it starts to reverse itself,” Goldie explains in the film.

The brand’s musical legacy and continued contribution to shaping festival style is encapsulated by Liam Gallagher wearing his own archival Burberry parka from 2018 – it’ll be reissued for a limited time to coincide with the campaign starting in July. "‘Burberry sits at the centre of the summer calendar, it’s both a means of creative expression and go-to uniform for festival goers,’ says chief creative officer, Daniel Lee.