“I think the British are very good at looking as though we haven’t tried too hard,” the model and Mémoire founder told Vogue after an evening attending Burberry’s spring 2027 show at London Fashion Week.“I think the British are very good at looking as though we haven’t tried too hard,” the model and Mémoire founder told Vogue after an evening attending Burberry’s spring 2027 show at London Fashion Week.
As a Brit and a model, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley has a special relationship with Burberry—she grew up with it, has worked for the brand, and now sits front row, as she did yesterday for the label’s spring 2027 show. “Burberry is one of those brands that feels completely woven into British culture,” she says. “There’s the heritage and the history, of course, but I think what’s interesting about British style is that it’s never just one thing. There’s tradition and eccentricity, polish and rebellion, the countryside and the city—and somehow they can all coexist. Burberry has always understood that tension.”
“I also think the British are very good at looking as though we haven’t tried too hard,” she adds. “There’s usually something slightly undone or irreverent about the way we dress, even when we’re dressed beautifully.”
Huntington-Whiteley embodied that ethos yesterday in a black leather trench over a white blazer, plus heels and some glittering diamond earrings and necklace from Tiffany & Co. “I loved it because it feels very Burberry, but it also feels very much like me,” she says. “There’s something quite strong and confident about the silhouette, and I always gravitate towards clothes that have a sense of permanence to them—pieces that feel relevant now but that I could imagine pulling out again in 10 years.”
And what was it like not traipsing the runway herself, but sitting perched front row alongside her long-term partner Jason Statham? “It’s a very different experience. I spent so many years on the other side of it that I know exactly what’s happening backstage—the nerves, the fittings, the waiting around, and then suddenly you’re pushed onto a runway, and it’s over in about thirty seconds,” she says. “So I watch models with a lot of empathy! I notice the walk, the clothes, how something moves on the body. But I also really enjoy being able to sit there and take in the whole collection, because as a model you rarely get to do that. You’re usually concentrating on not falling over and remembering where your exit is.”
Any quick scan of Huntington-Whiteley’s Instagram shows she had a very fabulous summer, which included sun-soaked adventures in Mallorca and Malta. Not pictured, however, is all the reading she got done. “I got back into reading this summer after being quite terrible about it for years, and now I’ve gone completely the other way and can’t stop. I grew up in rural England, and my dad used to take me to the bookshop every weekend, so books were a huge part of my childhood.” This summer she read over 15 books, including The Names, The Safekeep, God of the Woods and her current one, Lost Lambs. Very sweetly, she’s also working her way through the Harry Potter series with her son, Jack. “[It] has been really lovely because I get to relive them through him.”
It has also been a big year for Huntington-Whiteley on the business side: she launched her own brand, Mémoire, in the spring, adding entrepreneur to her growing résumé. Focused on small personal accessories—think candles, stationery, notebooks, and keepsake boxes—it’s an exciting new venture she’s embraced wholeheartedly. “Mémoire is very personal to me because it brings together so many things I’ve always been drawn to—beautiful objects, interiors, fragrance, craftsmanship, and this idea of creating things that become part of the rituals and memories of your life,” she says. “What’s been really lovely is seeing people understand the world rather than responding to just one product. The journals, the frames, the candles—they’re objects you live with, gift, keep and hopefully become emotionally attached to over time.”
“Building something from the ground up has been one of the most creatively satisfying things I’ve done,” she adds.
Despite her very fabulous summer, Huntington-Whiteley admits she’s very much an autumn girl. “I’m English!” she says. “I think autumn is in my DNA. I love that first moment when the air changes and you can put a proper coat on again. Boots, knitwear, leather jackets, fires going at home, long Sunday lunches. I’m much more comfortable dressing for autumn and winter than I am for high summer.” Plus, the season gives her a chance to go into hibernation mode. “And after such a busy year, I’m really looking forward to being at home more, being with my family and settling into that slightly slower rhythm that comes with the colder months.”
And as the weather turns from balmy to chilly, Huntington-Whiteley will certainly be able to fight the cold with her trusty Burberry wares. “The trench is probably my earliest association with Burberry,” she says. “Growing up in England, Burberry was one of those names you just knew. It felt very grown-up and very British. Then, when I started modelling, I began to understand the brand’s fashion history and what it represented globally. So my relationship with it has evolved— from something I recognised as a child as quintessentially British to a house I’ve now had a relationship with through different chapters of my career.”
Additionally, she’s developed a relationship with the current designer, fellow Brit Daniel Lee. “What I really enjoy about Daniel is his instinct and his energy,” she says. “He has this wonderful ability to look at British culture through a very personal lens—there’s humour, nostalgia, subculture, history, all of these references colliding. And I always enjoy being around people who are genuinely obsessed with what they do. Daniel is one of those people. You feel his enthusiasm.”
Huntington-Whiteley shared a few behind-the-scenes snaps from her day with Burberry, from getting ready to front row and beyond. Take a look below.
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Photo: Courtesy of Rosie Huntington-Whiteley 1/14“Here’s the invite.”
“Details of my look—a leather trench and a white blazer, so chic.”
