Burberry

Burberry – Seeing a Dream Come to Fruition

While there are thousands of high-end brands, some stand out from the competition with Burberry being one. As a former apprentice within the drapery industry, 21-year-old Thomas Burberry had a dream of opening his own store in England, which came to fruition in 1856. Today, that company is officially known as Burberry Group PLC, which has a solid reputation of excellence specific to luxury fashion, accessories, and fragrances.

The Beginning of a Brand

Over the next 14 years, Thomas worked tirelessly to establish the Burberry name although initially, the focus was on attire to be worn outdoors. Items were quite popular but when a unique fabric known as “gabardine” was introduced in 1880, popularity of the Burberry brand skyrocketed. Unlike anything else available, this fabric was water-resistant, breathable, and sustainable. As a result, consumers quickly began referring to products by the name “Burberrys of London”, which prompted the company to changes its name.

With increasing demand and continued growth, a second store was opened in London in 1891. Thomas was dedicated and open to change, which resulted in a registered trademark of the Burberry Equestrian Knight logo in 1901. Attire manufactured with gabardine fabric caught the attention of professional outdoorsmen starting with Roald Amundsen who achieved the goal of becoming the first person to reach the South Pole, as well as Ernest Shackleton who successfully led a cross-Antarctica expedition. Since that time, several additional changes occurred to include the following:

• 1914 – The War Office commissioned Burberry to modify current officer coats, which resulted in the development of the trench coat
• 1920s – The iconic check pattern of Burberry was created and initially used as lining for trench coats
• 1930s – Aviation garments were created
• 1937 – Burberry sponsored A.E. Clouston and Mrs. Betsy Kirby’s flight from Cape Town to London
• 1955 – Great Universal Stores took over the Burberry brand
• 1970s – Burberry clothing became popular among the general population
• 1990s – A shift in clientele occurred when football firms and working-class youth subcultures began wearing the brand
• 1999 – The marketing name was changed back to Burberry

Brand Extensions

Although the trench coat is what Burberry is best known for, the company branched out to include luxury fashion, as well as fashion accessories and even fragrances for both men and women. The three brands under which Burberry now operates are as follows:

• Burberry Prorsum - Baseline for the other brands
• Burberry London – Wear to work and business items
• Burberry Brit – Most accessible with affordable pricing

The original check design used to line Trench Coats has also been expounded on. Examples of different check options include:

• Haymarket – Classic with the Equestrian Knight logo
• House – Classic without the Equestrian Knight logo
• Nova – Newer and bigger pattern with a cream/tan background and black and pink/red stripes that run vertically and horizontally
• Supernova – Larger check
• Exploded – Exploded metallic colors
• Smoked – Classic without the Equestrian Knight logo but in a darker color
• The Beat – Classic in black and white

Burberry is a brand found throughout the world. In fact, there are now more than 500 stores in 50 different countries. While the clothing portion of Burberry continues to thrive, other aspects of the company are evolving. For example, Burberry also designs shoes, handbags, cosmetics, children’s wear, and fragrances for men and women. Although there are far too many fragrances to list in a single article, we wanted to mention just a few:

• Women
• Body Tender
• Brit Eau De Parfum
• Burberry for Women
• Sport Eau De Toilette
• The Beat Eau De Toilette
• Men
• Classic Summer Eau De Toilette
• Sport Eau De Toilette
• The Beat Eau De Toilette
• Touch Eau De Toilette
• Body Fragrances
• Body Crystal Baccarat Edition
• Body Eau De Parfum Collection
• Body Eau De Toilette Collection
• Body Tender Collection

Conclusion

Even though Burberry started as a company that designed outerwear, Thomas’ dream was much greater. Through years of hard work and lessons learned, the company has become a cherished brand appreciated by men, women, and children. To give back to communities for being so dedicated to the brand, the Burberry Foundation was formed in 2008. With this, young people are given the opportunity to fulfill their own dreams just as Thomas Burberry did more than 150 years ago.