Burberry

Burberry Group plc is a British luxury fashion house established in 1856 by Thomas Burberry and headquartered in London, England. It designs and distributes ready to wear, including trench coats, leather accessories, and footwear. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.

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 1879, Burberry introduced gabardine to his brand, a hardwearing, water-resistant yet breathable fabric, in which the yarn is waterproofed before weaving. In 1891, Burberry opened a shop in the Haymarket, London.

In 1901, the Burberry Equestrian Knight logo was developed containing the Latin word "Prorsum", meaning "forwards", and it was registered as a trademark in 1909. In 1911, the company became the outfitters for Roald Amundsen, the first man to reach the South Pole, and Ernest Shackleton, who led a 1914 expedition to cross Antarctica. A Burberry gabardine jacket was worn by George Mallory on his attempt on Mount Everest in 1924.

Adapted to meet the needs of military personnel, the "trench coat" was born during the First World War; it was worn by British officers in the trenches. After the war, it became popular with civilians.

The Burberry check has been in use since at least the 1920s, primarily as a lining in its trench coats. The celebrity motorcycling sisters Betty and Nancy Debenham wore their trench coats for travelling and racing in the 1920s and recommended the garment in their 1928 book Motor-Cycling for Women. Burberry also specially designed aviation garments. They outfitted Mrs Victor Bruce for her 1930 round the world flight and her one woman flight to Japan. She wore a reversible coat with waterproof gabardine outside for flying and with a tweed inner side which could be turned outside to create a smart look for disembarking under the glare of the publicity her exploits attracted. In 1937, A. E. Clouston and Betty Kirby-Green broke the world record for the fastest return flight from London to Cape Town in The Burberry airplane that was sponsored by the brand. Burberry was an independent family-controlled company until 1955, when Great Universal Stores (GUS) assumed ownership.

During the 1970s and 1980s, Burberry signed agreements with worldwide manufacturers to produce goods complementary to the existing British collection, such as suits, trousers, shirts, sportswear and accessories, for men, women, and children. These products, designed under the strict control of headquarters in London, were produced and distributed through independent retail stores worldwide as well as through the Burberry stores, and contributed to the growth of the brand in sales and profits through to the late 90s, although the full extent of sales was not apparent in the parent company accounts since much was done through licensed agreements. The company had signed Lord Lichfield as photographer, Lord (Leonard) Wolfson was Chairman and Stanley Peacock OBE Managing Director. In 1997, GUS director Victor Barnett became chairman of Burberry, hiring Rose Marie Bravo to execute a corporate reorganization and restoration of the brand as a luxury fashion house. Barnett led the company up to its successful IPO in 2001.

In May 2001, Christopher Bailey joined Burberry as creative director. Bailey was the chief creative officer from 2014, as well as chief executive (CEO) from 2014 until November 2017. Bailey stepped down as chief creative officer in March 2018 and had departed the brand completely by the end of 2018.

Between 2001 and 2005, Burberry became associated with "chav" and football hooligan culture. This change in the brand reputation was attributed to lower priced products, the proliferation of counterfeit goods adopting Burberry's trademark check pattern, and adoption by celebrities prominently identified with "chav" culture. The association with football hooliganism led to the wearing of Burberry check garments being banned at some venues.