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.”
“On the way to the show.”
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.
