Burberry

Burberry, fashion company founded in 1856, credited with the invention of a waterproof gabardine cloth and famously known for its check pattern. Burberry was established in Basingstoke, England, by Thomas Burberry, an apprentice to a draper. He initially opened an outfitters shop but by 1870 had begun to concentrate on making durable outdoor clothes.

In 1879, Burberry developed waterproof gabardine, a weatherproof but breathable fabric with a variety of uses, including overcoats and tents. Burberry’s reputation for hard-wearing designs grew and in 1901 the British War Office asked the company to design an officer’s uniform. This uniform included a gabardine raincoat, which evolved into a trench coat when Burberry added functional straps and rings to the design during World War I. In the early 20th century, famous explorers Roald Amundsen, Robert F. Scott, and Ernest Shackleton were kitted out with the brand and Amundsen used gabardine tents on his expedition to the South Pole. Burberry also designed clothes for aviators, including Alcock and Brown.

The Burberry check, made up of beige, black, white, and red colours, became an instantly recognizable symbol of the Burberry brand. It began as the lining for Burberry trench coats in 1924 and has since been used for all manner of items, including umbrellas, bags, scarves, watches, and perfume bottles.

In 1919, 1955, and 1989, Burberry was awarded a royal warrant from George V, Elizabeth II, and Prince Charles, respectively. The company expanded overseas in Asia and the United States. A flagship Burberry store was opened in New York in 1970 and ten other stores were opened in the United States in the 1980s, as Burberry established its classic “British lifestyle” brand. Today, Burberry’s corporate headquarters are located at Haymarket in London, the location of the first London-based Burberry shop, which was opened in 1891.

In 1997 the company took a different direction, employing a new management team in order to relaunch Burberry as a modern luxury brand. New products were unveiled as well as new designs, and the advertising campaign featured supermodel Kate Moss. Burberry’s image improved, as did sales, and high-profile celebrities were seen wearing the brand. However, critics noted that with this success came over-saturation of the market. A huge number of counterfeit Burberry-check items began to be sold. Burberry had become available to the masses and thus lost some of its caché. With famous footballers wearing the brand, it became popular among football fans and the football terraces were dotted with Burberry-check baseball caps and shirts. The Burberry check (as well as some other designer brands, including Aquascutum) became associated not just with designer luxury but with football hooligans. In 2004 Burberry ceased production of its check cap, although counterfeit caps were still widely available.