Dubai artist Nathaniel Alapide turns the UAE desert into a giant Burberry monogram

The luxury label teamed up with the Filipino artist for its latest campaign

Artist Nathaniel Alapide transformed Dubai's sand dunes with Burberry's TB monogram logo. Courtesy Burberry

British fashion company Burberry has collaborated with Dubai artist Nathaniel Alapide for the latest chapter of its summer campaign.

Alapide, a self-taught artist originally from the Philippines, is already well-known in the UAE for his huge sand paintings that he etches into the city's beaches until they are washed away by the next high tide.

Using just a rake, Alapide has created colossal artworks, including recreations of the Mona Lisa and Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, on the beaches and the dunes of the UAE.

For its 2020 summer campaign, Burberry is leaning on its heritage as a maker of outdoor clothing, which started when founder Thomas Burberry invented waterproof gabardine cloth in 1879, from which all its famous trench coats are made.

For this region, the luxury label asked Alapide to carve its distinctive TB Monogram motif into the sands. Speaking about the project, the artist said: "if you create something in the desert, it will always cover it up – it has that ephemeral nature to it. The desert is unforgiving. But when you go out into the desert, it is always a collaboration with nature."

In addition to Alapide's transient artwork, Burberry also took its monogram to Inner Mongolia, where it was made into hot air balloons that rose over the landscape. In China, meanwhile, the same design became sails on a fleet of boats in Port of Shenzhen.

Although Burberry has existed since 1856, the TB Monogram logo is relatively new, as it was introduced in August 2018 by chief creative officer Riccardo Tisci.

Created in collaboration with British art director Peter Saville, it is a reworking of the initials of the label's founder, Thomas Burberry.

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