Dry-stone walling is not the obvious pastime of most fashion designers, but it is for the Yorkshire-born Christopher Bailey. Affable and approachable, he is a down-to-earth designer in an industry renowned for its big egos.

“I love the idea of sitting alone in a field and choosing each stone and putting them all together, the solitude of it,” he said. “But it’s probably because my life is chaotic and I have a lot of responsibility.” That responsibility includes overseeing the Burberry empire, from the ready-to-wear line Burberry Prorsum, which has won rave reviews since Mr. Bailey took over four years ago, to Burberry London, Thomas Burberry, and a vast brand that includes children’s clothes, accessories, sunglasses, fragrances, and homeware – there’s even a chic gardening collection.

He also oversees the design of the stores, the advertising shoots, and the overall look of the brand.

It’s a lot of pressure for a 33-year-old, but Mr. Bailey wears the burden lightly. His career path has prepared him well for the demands of directing a global brand. Donna Karan offered him his first job when he was studying at the Royal College of Art. Within six months, at just 24, he was head-hunted by Gucci, where Tom Ford was setting about turning the brand into one of the most influential labels of the 1990s.

“I didn’t really know who he was, and I wasn’t ready to move at the time, so I turned it down. Then, six months later, I got another call saying that Tom Ford was in New York and he really wanted to meet me. I was seduced by him, by the company, and by his incredible ambition.”

Mr. Bailey’s easygoing nature could not be in greater contrast to Mr. Ford’s famously demanding and obsessive approach to work, but he spent the next six years with Gucci and it provided an invaluable grounding for what was to come.

“My friends thought I was mad to leave Gucci,” said Mr. Bailey. “But I needed another challenge.”

At 29, he was hired by Burberry’s chief executive, Rose Marie Bravo, to take over as designer from Roberto Menichetti, who had failed to create a convincing new look for the house.

“I didn’t have any preconceptions. I was just so excited to work for this historic British brand.”

While his responsibilities are now diverse, it’s Prorsum that has really put Mr. Bailey on the map. His Spring/Summer collection, which has just arrived in stores, is his most successful to date; the highly desirable clothes seem ageless but totally of the moment. He has softened the label’s signature trench coats by using sweet pastel colors, including pale blue and sugared-almond pink, and has cropped the sleeves, transforming the familiar into something truly original.

There are breezy full floral-print skirts and dreamy silk chiffon dresses with softly voluminous skirts, skinny knits, and trailing fine scarves, all jumbled together in an effortless mix.

Like Phoebe Philo at Chloe, he cleverly balances the history of the brand with a fresh outlook and, crucially, creates wearable clothes. He has developed a style for the house, a unique look that is instantly recognizable.

“We have found our Burberry girl. We even say in meetings: ‘Is our girl going to like that? How would our girl wear this?'” Mr. Bailey said.

His autumn collection, shown in Milan last month, is his most polished to date, mixing the traditional – plaids, William Morris-style prints, grown-up knits, British tweeds, and trench coats – with a 1960s swagger. “We don’t want old traditions and stuffy design, but we do want the richness of history. People are looking for the familiar, and in heritage companies such as ours there is something reliable,” he said.

Luckily for Burberry, Mr. Bailey isn’t showing any signs of getting restless. “I’m in my honeymoon phase,” he laughed. “I still feel like it’s a new job. But when you do something you enjoy, it doesn’t seem like hard work.”