Early years

Burberry was founded in 1856 when 21-year-old Thomas Burberry, a former draper's apprentice, opened his own store in Basingstoke, Hampshire, England. By 1870 the business had established itself by focusing on the development of outdoors attire. In 1880 Thomas Burberry invented gabardine, a hardwearing, water-resistant, yet breathable fabric, in which the yarn is waterproofed before weaving. Gabardine was patented in 1888.

In 1891 Thomas Burberry opened an emporium in the Haymarket, London, which still stands today and is the site of Burberry’s corporate headquarters. In 1904, the Burberry Equestrian Knight Logo was developed containing the Latin word "Prorsum" meaning forwards and registered as a trademark. In 1911 they also became the outfitters for Roald Amundsen, the first man to reach the South Pole, and Ernest Shackleton, who lead a 1914 expedition to cross Antarctica.

In 1914 Burberry was commissioned by the War Office to adapt its officer's coat, to suit the conditions of British contemporary warfare, resulting in the modern day "trench coat". After the war, the trench coat became popular with civilians. The iconic Burberry check was created in the 1920's and used as a lining in its trench coats. Over the years, it has been popularized by Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca, Peter Sellers in the Pink Panther films, and Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's.

Burberry also specially designed aviation garments. A. E. Clouston and Mrs Betsy Kirby Green made the fastest flying time to Cape Town from London in 1937 and were sponsored by Burberry.

The Burberry Check

The trench, black, white and red pattern known as novacheck or the 'Burberry check' was first used as a lining for their trenchcoat in 1924. It wasn't until as late as 1967 that the Burberry Check, now a registered trademark, was widely used on its own for items including umbrellas, scarves and luggage.

UK image problems and revitalization

During the 1970s, the brand became popular with the British football casual cult, leading to it to being associated with chavs, hooligans and members of football firms by the 1990s. The brand became something of a national joke, particularly when actress Danniella Westbrook was photographed with her young daughter wearing matching Burberry outfits. South Wales police ran a drive against anti-social behaviour under the name Operation Burberry and Burberry admitted that "Burberry is now synonymous with Chavs and thugs."

With the entry of a New Yorker, Rose Marie Bravo, as Chief Executive Officer in 1997, it was hoped the brand would be revitalised. She brought in Kate Moss to star in an advertising campaign, along with many new designs and products. However, the company still blamed weak Christmas 2004 sales in the UK on adverse media coverage.

Closure of Treorchy factory

In September 2006 Burberry announced the closure in March 2007 of their factory in Treorchy, South Wales, moving 310 jobs to Hong Kong and mainland China. The firm states that the Treorchy plant is "not commercially viable" despite announcing a 22% increase in profits in January 2007. The extremely unpopular decision has resulted in protests by workers outside the Burberry flagship stores in London, under the banner "Keep Burberry British". The campaign, supported by local Welsh Assembly Member Leighton Andrews and Jill Evans MEP has attracted international press coverage and is supported by celebrities from the world of cinema, music and sport including: Prince Charles , Tom Jones , Sir Alex Ferguson , Ioan Gruffudd (the international face of Burberry), Emma Thompson, Rhys Ifans, Bryn Terfel, The Automatic, Tanni Grey-Thompson, Irvine Welsh, Michael Sheen, Steve Jones and William Saville. The PR disaster reached a new stage when local MP Chris Bryant made a motion on 23 January 2007 in Parliament to remove Burberry's Royal Warrant if it persists in its intention to move these jobs offshore. The debate lasted 23 minutes.

The campaign has gone global with co-ordinated protests against the closure, were held in London, Paris, New York, Chicago, Strasbourg and Las Vegas.

Controversy over fur

In autumn 2006, animal rights organisation PETA made Burberry the focus of an international campaign, which is ongoing as of July 2007, over the continued use of fur in their clothing. The campaign has involved catwalk protests at fashion shows, appearances in front of Burberry stores, and a dedicated website.


Corporate history

Burberry was an independent company until 1955, when it was bought by Great Universal Stores (GUS), owners of UK High street retailers Argos and Homebase. Beginning in 2000, there were rumours of GUS releasing Burberry as an independent company. But it was not until December 2005, when Burberry was spun-off as the Burberry Group. Today, Burberry trades on the London Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol BRBY. In March 2007, Burberry began order fulfilment to most European countries at Burberry UK & Europe Shop Online

The company currently has boutiques in these select locations, New York at East 57ths St, New York at SoHo, Beverly Hills, Boston at Newbury Street, Boston at Copley Place, Boston at Natick Collection, Short Hills, NJ, Bal Harbour, San Francisco, Honolulu at Ala Moana Shopping Center, Honolulu at Waikiki, Costa Mesa, Dallas, and Palm Beach.