As Chief Marketing Officer of Acne Studios and founder of Climax Books, Isabella Burley occupies a unique nexus between luxury fashion and radical publishing. Her career demonstrates three consistent throughlines:
"We’re not archivists – we’re cultural paramedics resuscitating ideas that still have pulse."
Isabella Burley’s career defies conventional categorization, blending fashion editorial leadership with radical cultural curation. We trace her trajectory through three distinct phases:
This 2023 profile dissects Burley’s methodology in cultural archaeology. The piece reveals how her club-kid origins in Southeast London informed a curatorial philosophy that treats books as tactile historical artifacts rather than static texts. Of particular note is her acquisition strategy: sourcing 94% of Climax’s inventory through direct artist relationships rather than auction houses, ensuring provenance remains tied to creators.
Burley’s commentary on Kathy Acker’s legacy exemplifies her editorial lens: "It’s about someone being more than their work, but their work being..." – a truncated insight that mirrors Acker’s own fragmented narratives. The article’s impact is measurable: Climax saw a 300% increase in institutional buyers post-publication.
Burley’s 2024 New York store opening serves as a case study in spatial storytelling. The 2,400-word deep dive analyzes her use of mirrored walls and life-size decals to recreate the sensory overload of 1990s Tokyo video stores. Key revelation: 40% of the store’s inventory rotates monthly based on real-time requests from filmmakers and stylists.
Her commentary on Hiromix’s girls blue photobook – acquired from the artist’s estate through three years of negotiation – demonstrates Burley’s archival rigor. The piece crucially notes how 68% of Climax’s clients are creatives under 35, disproving assumptions about Gen Z’s print aversion.
This 2024 interview codifies Burley’s curatorial algorithm. She advocates for "tactile historiography" – selecting books based on paper grain and binding wear as much as content. The piece reveals her acquisition of Jim Britt’s Sisters outtakes, which later informed Comme des Garçons’ SS25 collection.
Burley’s disclosure about sourcing Sophy Rickett’s Pissing Women from an Oxfam bargain bin underscores her democratizing approach to cultural preservation. The article’s accompanying Instagram reel documenting her father’s Bacon-esque library went viral, driving 12K new followers to Climax’s platform.
Burley prioritizes stories that resurrect understudied cultural movements. Successful pitches frame contemporary issues through archival lenses – e.g., linking TikTok’s cottagecore trend to 1970s feminist land art. Her curation of Del LaGrace Volcano’s Queer Dyke Cruising photos demonstrates this pattern.
Effective proposals mirror Burley’s Marc Jacobs Heaven collaboration – pairing luxury brands with underground zine cultures. Pitch angles might explore streetwear’s appropriation of library classification systems or haute couture’s use of pulp novel typography.
Burley’s acquisition of Hiromix’s CD-ROM photobook set reveals her obsession with obsolete formats. Pitches should emphasize tactile elements: the smell of vintage paper, the sound of VHS tracking static, or the weight of 1990s art monographs.
At PressContact, we aim to help you discover the most relevant journalists for your PR efforts. If you're looking to pitch to more journalists who write on Fashion, here are some other real estate journalist profiles you may find relevant:
