Actress Lily James stars in her first ever advertising campaign for a label, and for Burberry no less. Lily James succeeds British models Kate Moss and Cara Delevingne, who are the current faces of My Burberry. She called following in their footsteps ‘an honour’.
Lily James – best known for her role as Lady Rose in Downton Abbey and for playing Cinderella in the 2015 Disney film – is shown provocatively in nothing but a black trench coat, dancing in the rain under an umbrella. The British singer-songwriter Duffy sings ‘I Put A Spell On You’ in the background.
The steamy campaign was shot by the iconic photographer Mario Testino, under the creative direction of Burberry’s CEO Christopher Bailey, and, in a first for the brand, Lily James also took over its Snapchat today in anticipation of the company’s first sponsored Snapchat lens. The British actress features in several provocative shots, channeling the seductive fragrance of the new My Burberry Black.
The global launch of the sexy new fragrance last year was inspired by the heritage label’s (now combined holistically under the Burberry brand) black trench coat and created by legendary perfumer ‘wonder boy’ Francis Kurkdjian.
The fragrance evokes the sensory appeal of being in a London garden amidst a gathering storm, heavy rain, contrasting with the warm and captivating flora.
The woman who wears My Burberry Black is confident in her own skin, intense and sensual and I think we really captured this with the campaign. My Burberry Black is about embracing your sensuality and the confidence in yourself. It’s British and fun and there’s freshness to it, a boldness…. To me, My Burberry Black has a beautiful, sensual smell. I like that there’s this sort of dark edge – the amber, and then there’s the rose and peach; it feels floral but with this kind of more sensual muskiness to it. It is sexy and sultry yet fresh.
Lily James
Fusing the scent of sun-drenched jasmine flower and peach nectar with a touch of rose. This signature rose note at the heart of My Burberry is given a sweet and inviting candied twist, while rich amber patchouli rounds off the scent for a deep and captivating finish.
My Burberry Black is housed in a rich, amber-coloured glass bottle, whose overall design reflects the details of the black Burberry Heritage Trench Coat.
A dark horn-finish cap echoes its distinctive buttons and the hand-tied black English-woven gabardine knot – made in Castleford, Yorkshire – honours the weatherproof fabric invented by Thomas Burberry over 100 years ago.
The flacon of My Burberry Black is presented in a black box with a gabardine inspired texture, embossed wih a golden knot.
Just as with My Burberry Eau de Parfum and Eau de Toilette, customers will be able to personalise their My Burberry Black bottle with up to three initials through the monogramming service available on Burberry.com and in selected Burberry and wholesale stores.