Burberry: True English Style Through Centuries
- Posted by: angeli.krohmal
Today we cannot imagine a mid-season closet without a beige trench coat, and once upon a time this coat was part of the British Army uniform. How did an English tailor manage to attract the attention of first the British and then the whole world to his clothes and what benefits did he bring to the textile industry and world history? Let's learn in detail the history of the British brand Burberry and choose the best products for your closet.
Burberry has been the epitome of English style for over a century and a half. The famous checkered print on a beige Nova background is a welcome accent of Burberry fashion in the closet, and the beige trench coat has become an outerwear classic, reviving the popularity of this element. What can you wear from Burberry? Let's take a look at this capsule of Burberry brand.
Thomas Burberry originally studied to be an upholsterer, then became an apprentice and worked in a fabric store. While still very young in 1856 he opened his first store. The real breakthrough was the fabric that Thomas managed to develop in 1880 - gabardine. It is a cotton fabric, which was treated in a special way to give waterproofing properties. The author pursued the idea of waterproof and windproof clothing, and as we know, in Britain the weather is changeable and very wet. After numerous tests, Thomas patented the development and from gabardine he began to make the first protective outerwear. It was in demand among scientists, and he supplied the Arctic Circle explorers with such clothing, as well as tents made from the same fabric. At the same time he was also engaged in sewing other clothes.
With the beginning of the new century, the brand continued to develop and developed the first military clothing - a cloak for officers. The uniforms were very popular and the company received a large order from the British Army - war was coming. During the first decade the brand was engaged in the development of mainly practical clothing and uniforms for the army, athletes and scientists. At the same time the emblem with the image of a knight rider carrying a banner with the credo "Prorsum" appeared.
In 1910 the brand developed the first collection of women's clothing. And in 1911 the first man - scientist Roald Amundsen - reached the South Pole, and he did it in Burberry outfit.
In the 1920s, the brand developed a pattern now known worldwide, beige plaid fabric used mainly for the lining of the main products.
In 1926, the founder of the brand passed away and his legacy passed to his sons.
During the First World War the brand became the main supplier of military uniforms for the army - during that period more than half a million officers' coats were sewn. These clothes also gained popularity among the civilian population. This is how the famous trench coat came into being.
The brand's clothes began to be in demand abroad, so stores began to appear in France. Customers loved both the waterproof fabric and the checkered pattern, so collections of clothes completely created in this color variation began to appear. Much later, this pattern would suffer the fate of the most frequently counterfeited print in the world. As a truly British brand, the authors of the plaid beige print were inspired by the classic Scottish tartan pattern.
Incidentally, today the print has 3 main variations: the Haymarket Check (the first original print, named after the address of the first store),the Nova Check and the House Check.
The quality of the clothes was appreciated even by members of the royal family, so in the 50s Burberry received the status of supplier of clothes to the royal court.
In the 1960s the brand added various accessories to its collections - umbrellas, scarves, gloves and many other things became a fashion trend. Of course the plaid pattern on a beige background became the centerpiece of the decor. The Burberry brand can be rightfully considered a pioneer in the world, where fashion was based mainly on products made of monochrome fabric.
In the 1970s Burberry came to America, where the first boutique was opened in New York. Americans liked the English style, and therefore the clothes were widely spread there. In the same years the clothes began to be noticed by celebrities and it even began to get into the cinematography, which gave the brand even more popularity.
However, as we know, any popularity has a shadow side. During these years, the brand gained popularity among soccer fans, who have never been known for decent behavior. This caused some damage to the reputation of the brand, but later Burberry was rehabilitated.
In the 1980s, the brand first thought of producing perfumes, which became a successful idea that we can still use today.
It is worth noting that the brand remained quite independent, not being part of any fashion concern. However, in the 1990s for expansion, the owners began to enter into contracts with third-party factories to produce clothes on a global scale.
These entailed challenges that were clearly reflected in the 1990s and 2000s. The brand needed a new creative vision that could raise its status among the high society and at the same time appeal to a younger audience. Because the factories were making too many clothes exclusively decorated with the brand's signature plaid print, the excitement around the brand waned and it became too affordable. In addition, a huge problem was counterfeit products, which became too much. This hit the financial situation of the original brand hard. At some point, the brand suffered the same fate as Poison Christian Dior perfume - on the doors of many restaurants and other establishments signs began to appear, which said "Entrance in Burberry is forbidden". Business owners did not want to worsen their reputation because of unscrupulous customers buying fakes.
But the situation started to improve with the arrival of Angela Ahrendts, a highly qualified specialist, who not only changed the overall management of the company, but also created a digitalized strategy of promotion through social networks, while coordinating the visual component of the new clothing collections. Many celebrities of a fairly young age were involved in the advertising, and the quality improved significantly due to some centralization of production. The brand was one of the first to practice online trading, which created a strong impression of "chosenness", because it was possible to buy things that had not yet arrived on the shelves of company boutiques. Thus, the almost forgotten conservative English clothing was once again at the top of desirable luxury brands all over the world.
Interesting fact: the brand continues to skillfully combine progressive ways of communication with its customers and devotion to tradition. This is how The Art of the Trench website came into being, where all customers can post their photos wearing Burberry's famous trench coats. To this day, this piece of clothing remains the main item associated with the English brand and its sales only grow year after year.
Since the 20s of the 21st century, the brand has started to pay more attention to ecology and plans to abandon old methods of maintaining the elite level of its products. This is not only to raise the prestige of the brand, but also for the sustainability of the conscious consumption strategy. Back in 2018, the company announced its refusal to burn unsold collections. Moreover, the brand significantly reduced the number of products made of natural fur and exotic animal skins. Instead, the brand started using environmentally friendly renewable materials.
To date, the Burberry brand makes not only clothes. There are several lines with accessories, such as sunglasses and watches. We can also buy cosmetics and perfumes of the brand. Respect for the history of creation and development is reflected in a special collection of the most popular models in the history of existence. The English brand continues to pursue a dual strategy of development, creating collections of both casual wear for the younger generation and premium capsules. At the same time, the quality in any collection remains at a very high level. The already eternal trend of denim has not been bypassed, so we can enjoy a wide range of denim clothing. Remembering that the brand originally supported athletes, today you can buy such clothes.
Streamlining the varieties of collections has helped the brand to not only earn the respect and loyalty of older customers again, but also to keep up with the times without neglecting the youth with its fashion attention. The brand's old visual values have not been forgotten, but now the way is open to invent and implement new fashion combinations.