Burberry Trench Coat

First available – c 1914-18

History: Established in 1856 by 21 year old Thomas Burberry who having completed his apprentice as a draper opened a store in Basingstoke. The first shop opened up in The Haymarket, London, in 1891 with its new trophy headquarters being built in 1913. Until 1955 Burberry was a family controlled business.

Probably Burberry most famous product is its trench coat with its highly distinctive lining. The proud recipient of Royal Warrants for the Queen and Prince Charles, Burberry was ranked 73rd in Interbrand’s influential Best Global Brands.

In 1879, Burberry introduced in his brand the gabardine a water-resistant fabric which is treated by being waterproofed before weaving. In 1901, the Burberry Equestrian Knight Logo was developed and was later registered as a trademark in 1909.

As part of the Burberry heritage their products were used in 1911 by South Pole explorer Roald Amundsen, in 1914 by Ernest Shackleton and in 1924 in an attempt to climb Mount Everest by George Mallory.

The signature Burberry trench coat was developed to meet the needs of troops in the First World War which, post War, became popular with civilians. The iconic Burberry check lining to its trench coats has been in use since at least the 1920s.

Burberry was taken over by Great Universal Stores in 1955 who in 2005 divested its remaining interest in Burberry. Burberry Group Plc was floated on the London Stock Exchange in July 2002 and Burberry first began selling online in the US followed by the UK in October 2006 and the rest of the EU in 2007.

Burberry promotes its British connection, it was reported as of July 2012 that Burberry maintains two production facilities in Yorkshire, one in Castleford producing raincoats, and one in Keithley. GQ November 2016 carried an advert featuring “The Burberry Artisans” depicting Fabric Inspector, George Edmondson, at Burberry Mill (England) holding a roll of what looks like traditional Burberry check raincoat lining material.

Gwyneth Paltrow’s http://www.goop.com cites the role played by CEO Christopher Bailey, – who continued the legacy of former CEO Angela Ahrendts – to bring Burberry’s into the 21st century “without sacrificing an ounce of integrity, this quintessential British brand is still going strong. Everything from the classics—the iconic trench,…. to the cool, of-the-moment designs that run the gamut from artful, watercolor prints to studded-leather everything, is quality through and through.”

 My Burberry Trench Coat: I bought a raglan sleeve Burberry trench coat in 1992 – or  nearly 20 years ago. An absolute favourite never too warm or too cold perfect for spring and autumn. The quality of the sticking has survived at least two reproofing’s the original at the old Haymarket store.

I have a picture taken outside the office of our old law practice in Mayfair of me and a former and much admired colleague on our way to an In and Out (on Piccadilly) military dinner in black tie looking for the world like a couple of yuppies – and man did we play that part so well….

Your Burberry Trench Coat?:

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