Burberry has worked with Sir Quentin Blake in a capsule collection bringing the British illustrator’s designs to women’s, men’s, children’s and accessories. The project showcases his hand-painted motifs on Burberry pieces, linking the house with one of Britain’s most recognizable names in illustration and children’s books.
Daniel LeeBurberry Chief Creative Officer, frames the collaboration through Blake’s visual language and its place in British culture. “Sir Quentin Blake’s illustrations capture a sense of childhood magic. They have a very British style and we wanted to bring his amazing creations into the world of Burberry.” Lee said.
Blake has been working in British art and publishing for almost seventy years. His illustrations carry a clear sense of character, movement and narrative, shaped through a line that readers across generations instantly recognize. queen elizabeth ii She knighted him in 2013, after decades of work in books, design and public art. His career also includes his long-term collaboration with writers, most famously Roald Dahl.
For the Burberry capsule, Blake’s artwork appears through wing prints and a newer group of previously unreleased designs. The wing patterns are inspired by an original 1971 pen and ink illustration created for an English edition of The Birds of Aristophanes. The latest designs show playful figures interacting with nature, giving the collection a second visual thread focused on character and gesture.
Burberry cuts the pieces from shower-resistant tropical gabardine, the lightest of its core fabrics. The fit and flare Pembury hole features a printed silk lining, while the neat, narrow Foxfield trench features an embroidered tactile design. Inside each trench, Burberry places Blake’s signature Knight label, turning the interior detail into an instant sign of the collaboration.
The collection continues through printed silk pieces. Burberry uses silk as a panel in a knit tee and in fluid separates, ruffled dresses and scarves. The material gives Blake’s designs a softer surface, while the silhouettes keep the artwork visible in casual wear and more dressed-up pieces. Cotton t-shirts, tops and sweaters convey the capsule imagery in a more direct way, placing the images on accessible wardrobe staples.
Burberry embroiders the capsule artwork on cotton twill baseball caps and adds the designs to Scottish cashmere scarves. The scarves get a brushed finish for a super soft texture.
The project also arrives ahead of a major moment for illustration in the UK. THE Quentin Blake Center for Illustration opens on June 5, 2026 as the country’s first and only permanent space dedicated to illustration. Burberry has supported the new center by funding staff and volunteer training, illustrator-led workshops, inclusive community programming and monthly LGBTQI+ family sessions starting in July.
