Top 10 facts about Burberry

British house Burberry was established in 1856 in Basingstoke by Thomas Burberry.

In 1912, Burberry patented a coat called the Tielocken, which would later go on to be known as the trench coat. The house has designed three signature trench models: the Chelsea, a slim cut; the Kensington, a classic tailored fit; and the Westminster, a relaxed-fit trench created for easy layering. The coats are available for both men and women in five colours, including classic honey, black, dark military khaki, mid-grey and midnight. Every coat is lined with Burberry’s classic vintage check.

It takes around three weeks to make one of the Burberry trench coats, with over 100 steps involved.

Burberry received a Royal Warrant as a Weatherproofer in 1955.

Burberry has a long and prestigious list of loyal followers. Explorers were among its earliest fans, including the British explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton, who wore the Burberry gabardine during his endurance expedition in 1914. The Burberry trench has been famously worn by Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca and Audrey Hepburn at Breakfast at Tiffany’s, as well as by Winston Churchill and the late Diana, Princess of Wales.

Ever since its inception, Burberry has been at the forefront of technology. In 1934, Burberry offered a same-day delivery service in the London area. In 2010, Burberry became the first brand to livestream a fashion show and in 2012 the brand launched the first Tweetwalk, posting each SS12 look live before it went down the catwalk. In 2016 Burberry became the first brand to install the see-now buy-now intuitive, inviting customers to shop the catwalk collection immediately after the show.

Best-known for its trench coats, signature plaids and heritage prints, Burberry has also made waves in the beauty industry. The Burberry make-up line launched in 2009 and Wendy Rowe was appointed as the Burberry Beauty creative consultant.

Along with the signature house check, the equestrian knight is also one of Burberry’s key motifs. This logo was the winning entry in a public competition held circa 1900 to design a new logo for the brand.

In 2018 Riccardo Tisci was appointed as the brand’s chief creative officer. One of his first moves for the house was to launch a new brand logo and monogram with Peter Saville. Saville had previously rebranded Calvin Klein in a similar style in 2017. Tisci’s debut collection was available to purchase 30 minutes after the LFW show for one day only.

In October 2018, Riccardo Tisci launched the Burberry B Series – a new series of exclusive monthly launches. On 17 October, the brand will launch a selection of white unisex jumpers on Burberry’s Instagram, WeChat, Line and Kakao platforms.