BURBERRY

Burberry is a world-renowned British heritage brand that has existed over 150 years. Founded by Thomas Burberry, the brand quickly gained fame for its gabardine clothing designs that protected people from the British weather. Burberry designed a raincoat for soldiers during the early 1900s, and the trench coat was born. The trench coat became popular with the public. During Christopher Bailey‘s time at the helm (starting in 2001), the brand incorporated its signature check pattern into the lining of the coat.

The brand has been successful since its establishment, even providing coats and tents for Roald Amundsen’s South Pole and Antarctic expeditions. In 1998, Burberry acquired Japanese license holder Sanyo Shokai and in 2002, Burberry floated on the London Stock Exchange. Angela Ahrendts replaced Rose Marie Bravo as Chief Executive Officer in 2006. Ahrendts helped change the company’s operations, such as removing the check pattern from 90% of products. Christopher Bailey then took over both roles as CEO and Chief Creative Officer in 2014.

Burberry is a well-known fashion brand with stores and franchises around the world. Designers have frequently copied Burberry’s iconic designs, such as the distinctive check-mark pattern.