Brand of the Month: Burberry

It’s time to be clued in on all things Burberry as it’s our Brand of the Month!

History of Burberry

Burberry was established in 1856 by Thomas Burberry at just 21 years old. Thomas wanted to create a fabric to protect British people from the notoriously bad weather. This led Burberry to create Geraldine, a material which was waterproof, breathable and long lasting. The material was made into trench coats which were staples to officers in World War I and rapidly grew to be “the coat” all outdoor adventurers would be wearing due to its sturdiness and style. Burberry worked long and hard to perfect this and within 20 years the British brand became a household name thanks to the trench coats which took over the designer market. By 1891, the first Burberry’s store opened in London, showing the world that this brand was here to stay.

After the trench coats came the iconic check print we know and love today. In the 1920s, a black, red and white tartan on a beige base was created and slowly took over the fashion world. It was first introduced on the inside hems of coats and jackets before it became spread across the label on all items.

Since its arrival Burberry was symbolic of British luxury but as time went on the iconic Burberry check pattern became a pattern widely apparent in all walks of life sparking a huge concern with the newly appointed creative director Christopher Bailey in 2001. The brand needed a renewal and Bailey wanted to shift the direction of Burberry away from the print and onto more luxurious exclusivity.

Burberry in 2023

Burberry has continued to challenge the status quo with out of the box marketing. This year for London Fashion Week Burberry have collaborated with Normans Cafe in London and even Transport for London.

At a regular cafe in London, Norman’s Cafe, Burberry decided to collaborate with the business to show customers and instagrammers alike that the designer brand is quintessentially British and can be worn by all.

It also took over Bond Street Station by renaming the station to “Burberry Street” and turned the tube blue. This campaign saw millions of people flock to the popular shopping strip to see the transformation. This saw Burberry gain an increase in searches on Google and sales.

Evolution of the Burberry Logos

Throughout the years Burberry have reinvented themselves and changed their logo to reflect the evolution of the brand. The very first logo was created in 1901 which depicted an equestrian with a shield and pike. It was red and “Burberrys” was in thick bold lettering.

In 1968, the logo was reduced in size and the wording was the main focus, away from the iconic equestrian. The logo was now black and “of London” was added to the text.

Shortly after in 1999, Burberry had yet again another redesigner and made the Burberrys wordmark thinner and smaller. Instead of Burberrys as the text it is now Burberry London.

In 2018, Burberry had the largest change when they removed the equestrian all together. It was to represent them moving away from just one demographic and wanted to give it a modern approach and a sense of youth.

Which brings us to today, in 2023, Burberry changed the style of the text again to thin out the bold lettering and to bring it back to its elegant and classical roots.

This leaves the question, what will be next for Burberry?

If the brand history of Burberry has you as hooked as it has us, why not shop from our vast range of Burberry, featuring products throughout their history. If that isn't a perk of shopping preloved, we don't know what is!

Shop our collection online and in store today!