Thomas Burberry completed an apprenticeship as a draper and opened his own drapery store in England during 1856. After becoming frustrated with the available rubber raincoats which were heavy and restrictive he designed a fabric made from tightly water repellent linen or cotton yarn. This fabric was sturdy, tear proof and lightweight. Burberry trademarked his fabric as “Gabardine” in 1988.

Burberry improvedhis business by clever advertising and trademarking.

In 1974 the war office commissioned Burberry to adapt its officer’s coat for war conditions. T

his resulted in the “trench coat” which became popular with Civilians. In 1920 Burberry’s “checked” linings for trench coats was created.

During 1955 Burberry was bought out by Great Universal Stores.

It was luck that made the checked Burberry fabric that lines Burberry’s coats famous. In 1967 a shop manager turned up a coat so the lining could be seen in a window display and repeated the check cloth on some umbrellas. The demand for the umbrellas was so great Burberry’s quickly produced and sold hundreds then branched out into other accessories.

In 2005 Burberry was spun off as the Burberry Group. Today Burberry trades on the London Stock Exchange. Burberry distributes world wide as a luxury brand.

http://www.ubiubi.mobi/ubiblog/?p=1406
http://www.novafm.com.au/nova100/article_burberry-fashion-philosophy_393

http://www.burberryworld.com/history.htm

http://www.answers.com/topic/burberry-2

http://runninginheels.co.uk/articles/iconic-brand-burberry/