- The very name Burberry may reek of tradition and those timeless standards of quality that the British do best, but the company has, since its founding, been a real force for innovation—as the motto Prorsum (Latin for “forward”), on its knight-and-horse logo, bears witness.
- In 1856, young Thomas Burberry set out to equip local sportsmen from a small outfitter’s shop in Basingstoke, England. He made his name by patenting gabardine, a waterproof, tightly woven cotton inspired by the loose linen smocks worn by English shepherds and farmers. Gabardine, patented in 1888, was nothing short of revolutionary. It was at once lightweight, breathable, and highly durable.
- By the early 1900s, business was booming in the Burberry emporium on London’s Haymarket Street. The firm gained prestige by outfitting high-profile Antarctic explorers, aviators, balloonists, and mountaineers. And, in addition to kitting out more humble seekers of adventure—golfers and skiers and horsemen—it soon got into the business of fine everyday outerwear, too: overcoats, ladies’ hats, and traveling capes in the distinctive tweeds and plaids that are still associated with the brand.
- But Burberry’s first, and still greatest, claim to fame is, of course, the trench coat. Devised for British troops fighting in World War I, it was fitted with shoulder straps for epaulets and D-rings for grenades. Later, the double-breasted weather-beater was adapted for civilian wear, gussied up with gun flaps and lined with the signature Burberry check.
slafnoune 