Top image: Alasdair McLellan, Belfast, 2005 © Alasdair McLellan

Burberry are set to host a major photography exhibition exploring the British way of life, curated by Burberry’s President and Chief Creative Officer Christopher Bailey and co-curated by photographer Alasdair McLellan.

Bringing together works by over 30 of the 20th century’s most renowned social and documentary photographers, the exhibition, titled Here We Are, will be held across three floors  at Old Sessions House, Clerkenwell – an 18th-century Grade II listed building, which will also be the location for Burberry’s SS18 show (to be held on 16th September).

Curating an impressive line-up, the exhibition boasts previously unseen prints by Shirley Baker and Ken Russell alongside Charlie Phillip’s iconic photographs of Notting Hill locals, Karen Knorr’s series documenting Belgravia in 1979, and works by Brian Griffin, Martin Parr and McLellan, amongst others, creating a diverse commentary on British life; an enduring influence for the storied brand.

It has been an extraordinary privilege to gather together this collection of photographs, that have influenced me so much over the years,” says Bailey. “They provide a portrait of British life, in all its nuances, both exceptional and mundane, beautiful and harsh. It’s the spirit of those photographs – sometimes ironic, sometimes tender, always truthful – that has guided our September collection. Together they will form an exhibition in our new show space, celebrating a very British way of life and way of dressing.’