In 1978, Burton founded The Contemporary Wardrobe Collection.[9] The collection houses over 20,000 items amassed through Burton’s career. It is used as a resource for fashion and film stylists, designers and museums around the world. In 2018 Burton published a reference book, Rebel Threads,[10] which features over a thousand examples of rare vintage clothing from the collection. The book traces how distinct streetstyle was originally put together and worn by the predominantly teenage subcultures emerging between the 1940s and 1980s[11][12]
Burton founded the Grade II listednot for profit Horse Hospital arts venue in 1992.[13] The Horse Hospital programme has focused on showcasing countercultural histories and outsider or emerging artists[14][15] The space opened with Vive Le Punk!, a retrospective of Vivienne Westwood's punk designs in 1993.[16] Subsequently, the venue has hosted a variety of artists and performers including Anita Pallenberg,[17]Alejandro Jodorowsky, Mark Leckey, Lydia Lunch and others[18]