Burberry: History, Products and British Luxury Heritage
Burberry is a British luxury fashion house best known for its trench coats, gabardine outerwear, distinctive check pattern, scarves, and ready-to-wear collections. Founded by Thomas Burberry in 1856 in Basingstoke, England, the company began with practical clothing designed for people facing Britain’s unpredictable weather. That focus on function led to one of Burberry’s most important innovations: gabardine, a lightweight and breathable weather-resistant fabric developed in the late 19th century.
Today, Burberry combines its British heritage with contemporary fashion, leather goods, footwear, accessories, and fragrance. Its long history, recognizable design codes, specialized craftsmanship, premium positioning, and cultural significance have helped establish it as one of Britain’s best-known luxury brands.
What Is Burberry?
Burberry is a British luxury fashion company that designs and sells clothing, outerwear, handbags, shoes, scarves, small leather goods, accessories, and other lifestyle products. Fragrance and beauty products bearing the Burberry name are also produced under licensing arrangements. Burberry Group plc is headquartered in London, England.
The brand occupies a distinctive position in luxury fashion because its identity is closely connected to British outerwear. While many fashion houses became famous primarily through couture, handbags, or jewelry, Burberry built its reputation around clothing engineered for weather and outdoor use.
That functional foundation remains visible today. Trench coats and other outerwear sit alongside runway fashion and contemporary accessories, allowing Burberry to combine historical references with a modern luxury wardrobe.
Burberry History
Burberry was founded in 1856, when 21-year-old Thomas Burberry, a former draper’s apprentice, opened a shop in Basingstoke, Hampshire. His early business focused on clothing and fabrics for customers in the surrounding rural community.
One of the defining moments in Burberry history arrived in 1879, when Thomas Burberry developed gabardine. Unlike many waterproof fabrics of the period, which could be heavy and uncomfortable, gabardine used a tightly woven construction designed to offer weather protection while remaining breathable and flexible. The fabric was patented in 1888.
Burberry expanded into London in 1891, opening a store on Haymarket. In 1912, Thomas Burberry patented the Tielocken coat, a belted design that is widely regarded as an important predecessor of the modern trench coat.
During the First World War, Burberry developed trench coats for military use. Features such as epaulettes, storm shields, D-rings, and gun flaps had functional purposes before becoming familiar elements of trench-coat design. After the war, the trench moved gradually from military equipment into civilian wardrobes.
In 1919, Burberry received its first Royal Warrant from King George V. The famous Burberry Check began appearing as a raincoat lining during the 1920s and eventually developed into one of the house’s most recognizable visual signatures.
The modern era brought further transformation. The company changed its name from Burberrys to Burberry in 1999. Designer Christopher Bailey joined in 2001 and played a major role in repositioning the brand during the following years. Burberry floated on the London Stock Exchange in 2002.
Riccardo Tisci succeeded Bailey as Chief Creative Officer in 2018, bringing a stronger contemporary and streetwear influence to the house. In 2022, British designer Daniel Lee became Chief Creative Officer. As of 2026, Lee continues to direct Burberry’s collections.
What Is Burberry Known For?
Burberry is most closely associated with three design signatures: the trench coat, gabardine, and the Burberry Check.
The Burberry Trench Coat
The trench coat is the product most closely connected with Burberry’s identity. Its roots lie in practical outerwear, but the design eventually became a fashion staple worn far beyond its original military context.
Burberry Heritage trench coats continue to be produced in Yorkshire and are hand-finished by specialist tailors. Details such as epaulettes, belts, storm shields, and check linings connect contemporary versions with the coat’s historical design language.
Gabardine
Thomas Burberry’s development of gabardine is central to the brand’s reputation for innovation. The fabric was designed to repel weather while remaining more breathable than many earlier waterproof materials.
Gabardine remains an important material in Burberry outerwear more than a century after its invention.
The Burberry Check
The beige, black, white, and red check became a raincoat lining in the 1920s. By the second half of the 20th century, Burberry began applying the pattern to accessories and other products.
The check scarf, introduced during the 1970s, became particularly recognizable. Burberry says its cashmere scarves are woven at a historic mill in Scotland using traditional looms.
Other important brand symbols include the Equestrian Knight Design, originally created around 1901, and the Latin word Prorsum, meaning “forwards.”
Popular Burberry Products and Categories
Trench Coats and Outerwear
Outerwear remains Burberry’s signature category. In addition to Heritage trench coats, the brand produces seasonal coats, rainwear, quilted jackets, puffer jackets, capes, and other outerwear for women and men.
The Heritage trench remains especially important because it connects the modern Burberry collection directly to the company’s history of weather-resistant clothing.
Scarves
Burberry cashmere scarves are another major product category. Traditional versions often feature the house check, although contemporary collections include different colors, patterns, and seasonal designs.
Scarves have become one of the most accessible ways for customers to own a recognizable Burberry product while still reflecting the brand’s textile heritage.
Ready-to-Wear
Burberry produces extensive womenswear and menswear collections, including dresses, shirts, knitwear, trousers, tailoring, polos, denim, and seasonal fashion. Many pieces reinterpret British clothing traditions or incorporate house motifs such as the check and Equestrian Knight.
Handbags and Leather Goods
Bags and leather accessories are an increasingly visible part of the Burberry range. Collections include tote bags, shoulder bags, crossbody bags, backpacks, mini bags, wallets, and card cases.
Current designs use leather, canvas, suede, and Burberry Check textiles, with some styles incorporating archive-inspired hardware and equestrian references.
Shoes
Burberry footwear includes sneakers, boots, loafers, sandals, pumps, and formal shoes. Leather and suede are common materials, while some designs incorporate recognizable Burberry patterns and branding.
Fragrance and Accessories
Burberry also offers fragrances, eyewear, belts, jewelry, umbrellas, hats, and travel accessories. Beauty products are currently developed, manufactured, marketed, and distributed through Burberry’s licensing agreement with Coty.
Why Is Burberry Considered a Luxury Brand?
Burberry’s luxury status is based on more than its name or pricing.
Heritage is one important factor. The brand has operated since 1856, and products such as its trench coat and gabardine fabric have genuine historical connections to the development of modern outerwear.
Craftsmanship also plays a role. Burberry’s Heritage trench coats are made in Yorkshire and require specialist construction and hand-finishing. The company notes that learning some complex elements of trench production, such as collar stitching, requires extensive specialist training.
Materials contribute to its positioning as well. Depending on the product, Burberry uses gabardine, cashmere, leather, wool, silk, and other premium materials.
Another factor is design recognition. A Burberry trench coat or check scarf can often be identified without relying heavily on a large logo. The check, trench silhouette, gabardine fabric, and equestrian imagery give the brand a consistent visual language.
Burberry also maintains premium pricing, selective retail distribution, luxury boutiques, and international fashion campaigns. These elements position its products well above the mass-market and contemporary fashion segments.
Finally, Burberry has substantial cultural relevance. Its trench coats have appeared in film, fashion photography, music culture, British subcultures, and celebrity wardrobes for decades. That cultural recognition adds value to the brand beyond the physical materials used in each product.
Is Burberry Worth Considering?
Burberry may appeal most to buyers who value British design heritage, outerwear, recognizable patterns, and established luxury craftsmanship.
Its trench coats are particularly relevant for someone looking for an item closely linked to the history of the brand rather than simply a seasonal fashion product. Cashmere scarves and outerwear also carry some of Burberry’s strongest and most recognizable design codes.
However, Burberry products come with luxury-level prices. Buyers should compare materials, construction, fit, intended use, and alternatives before deciding whether the price makes sense for them.
Not every Burberry product has the same level of historical significance or specialized construction. Someone primarily interested in heritage may therefore place greater value on a gabardine trench or Scottish-woven cashmere scarf than on a heavily branded seasonal accessory.
Burberry can also appear frequently on the resale market, but secondhand values vary considerably by category, design, condition, age, and demand. Luxury products should not automatically be viewed as investments.
Frequently Asked Questions About Burberry
Who founded Burberry?
Thomas Burberry founded the company in 1856. He was 21 years old when he opened his first store in Basingstoke, Hampshire.
Is Burberry British?
Yes. Burberry was founded in England and remains strongly associated with British design, outerwear, and fashion culture. Burberry Group plc is headquartered in London.
What is Burberry most famous for?
Burberry is most famous for its trench coats, gabardine fabric, and Burberry Check. Cashmere scarves, outerwear, ready-to-wear fashion, bags, and fragrances are also important categories.
Did Burberry invent the trench coat?
Burberry played a major role in developing the trench coat, but the broader history of the garment is more complicated than attributing the invention to a single company. Burberry developed military trench coats during the First World War, while its earlier Tielocken coat provided several design foundations.
Where are Burberry trench coats made?
Burberry Heritage trench coats are made in Yorkshire, England, with specialist tailoring and hand-finishing involved in their production.
Who is Burberry’s current creative director?
As of 2026, Daniel Lee is Burberry’s Chief Creative Officer. He joined the company in October 2022 and oversees Burberry’s collections.
Burberry at a Glance
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Brand | Burberry |
| Founded | 1856 |
| Founder | Thomas Burberry |
| Country | England, United Kingdom |
| Headquarters | London, England |
| Industry | Luxury fashion |
| Known For | Trench coats, gabardine, Burberry Check, outerwear, scarves, ready-to-wear and accessories |
Why Burberry Still Matters
Burberry’s identity has evolved considerably since Thomas Burberry opened his first shop in 1856, but its strongest products still connect to the original idea behind the company: clothing designed to respond to British weather while combining function and design.
The trench coat, gabardine fabric, Burberry Check, and cashmere scarf give the brand unusually recognizable links to its history. Contemporary fashion collections continue to reinterpret those codes rather than relying solely on them.
For anyone researching important British luxury brands, Burberry offers a useful example of how technical innovation, heritage, craftsmanship, cultural recognition, and modern fashion can combine to create long-term luxury positioning.