Well-worn Burberry Goes for Crumpled Chic

Fashion's latest conundrum isn't whether men will wear bejeweled turbans, but the more prosaic question of how to sell luxury fashion when the rest of the world is tightening its belt. Christopher Bailey, head designer at Burberry, is the man with the answers, judging by the label's latest impressive financial results.

For his spring/summer 2009 menswear show in Milan at the weekend, Bailey presented a beautifully wearable collection building on an aesthetic he has developed over the past few years. This was reflected in the title of his collection, Crumpled Classics.

Trench coats, knitwear and jackets in a muted palette of ink, mushroom and sage green, all had an unstructured feel and many of the pieces were creased. This "just out of the tumble dryer" look will give any man wearing them a charming, unstuffy look.

This was the first catwalk collection from Burberry since it announced an impressive set of financial figures, making the British label one of the top five luxury brands in the world. Profits rose 25% to £196m on the back of a 17% rise in revenue to £995m for the financial year ending in March this year. This success looks set to continue.

Ironically, for a company that trades on its British heritage, it is the US and the emerging markets such as Russia and China, which are key to Burberry's good fortune - only 7% of the company's sales are generated in the UK.

Nonetheless, these international customers are buying into a sense of imagined Britishness, so there were no overtly summery touches in the show at the weekend, just a focus on outerwear - all perfect for a rainy, English summer.

As with many luxury fashion houses, sales of accessories have proved to be of growing importance. Burberry accessories make up 31% of total sales.