This year marks the 160th anniversary of fashion icon, Burberry. Since its birth in 1856, the company has gone through continual transformation, but their two foundational elements, the trench coat and the distinctive tartan pattern, have remained the icons of the Burberry line.
Originally, the company’s products were geared towards outdoor wear. In 1880, Burberry established itself as the North Face of the late 19th century when it invented Gabardine, a revolutionary fabric that allowed for more freedom of movement while providing the protection needed to endure the extreme weather conditions of arctic exploration and mountain climbing. Over time Burberry established the reputation as the outfitters of some of history’s most famous arctic explorations and mountain assents, like the successful South Pole expedition led by Norwegian explorer, Roald Amundsen, in 1911. A few years later Burberry gained even more credibility when Gabardine-clad Sir Ernest Shackleton survived his famously harrowing Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition.
In 1914, when the British War Office commissioned Burberry to redesign the coats used by their military, the trench coat was born. The name is a reference to the trenches of World War One, when the coat was so successful it took the place of the uncomfortable rubber coats and unwieldy greatcoats that until then had been standard issue. When the war ended, the garment became popular with civilian culture, eventually reaching the silver screen when Humphrey Bogart wore it in Casablanca. Forever after, the Burberry trench-coat style, with its khaki color, long pointed Golden-Era style collar, full-length working epaulettes, dropped D-rings at back, and stitch hemmed cuffs would be associated with the golden age of cinema.
Since then the coat’s style has evolved while staying true to its most essential and distinctive elements. This consistency of style, and the coat’s association with some of the world’s top celebrities, has taken the Burberry trench coat to the level of a cultural icon. In 2013, the New York Times reported that the Burberry raincoat would be hanging in the closets of certain prestigious hotels in London, available for use by the guest if (when) the weather turned inclement.
Bagpipes at the Strawberry Festival
If the classic style is not characteristic enough, you can always tell a Burberry trench coat by its distinctive tartan pattern lining. Originally a Gaelic design, the tartan pattern has been around for a very long time and was thought to have been popular with the people of the northern provinces of ancient Rome. Just like the trench coat, the tartan pattern also has a history with the military, being used in the uniforms of the Scottish warriors. There was even a short period in the late 1700s when wearing tartan was illegal in Scotland because of its association to the feared Highlanders who were giving the government such trouble. Fast forward to present day and the Burberry Check, a unique take on the classic tartan pattern, has become one of the most copied trademarks in the world.
Like James Bond or Dr. Who, Burberry seems to exhibit a superhuman ability to keep a simple idea relevant no matter how many decades pass. Part of the company’s secret is an uncanny ability to discern between trends and fads. In 2009, Burberry engaged the social media world earlier than many of their contemporaries when they launched The Art of the Trench, a website which encouraged people around the world to pose for pictures in a Burberry trench coat and post them to the website. To give you some perspective on how progressive this was, Instagram came into being a year later.
“Those raincoats, a 95-year-old fashion icon, remain Burberry’s bestselling item and Ms. Ahrendts — who now runs the company — is hoping to move the quintessentially British brand into the age of the Internet to attract a new generation of shoppers.” – New York Times, 2009
Maybe you’ve just watched Casablanca for the 88th time and decided you must have a Burberry trench coat. Maybe you’re interested in browsing some of Burberry’s more daring styles. Either way, Rome has two locations that can serve all your needs. If you’re shopping late, the location in Piazza Fiume stays open till 9 pm. If you prefer to be more leisurely, I suggest you go to the location in the beautiful, peaceful Piazza San Lorenzo in Lucina. After you’ve browsed all the beautiful items that Burberry’s offers, you can enjoy an espresso at one of Ciampini Roma’s outdoor tables a few doors down.
Today, extreme weather conditions and warfare are the last things that come to mind when we hear the name Burberry. The trench coat was born in the mud of WWI and took a circuitous path over the years, which ended under the bright lights of the high-fashion world. The tartan pattern took an even longer road from pre-roman times, through the battlefields of Scotland, and into prestigious Burberry stores around the world. So the next time you see someone walking down the street wearing the Burberry trench coat and distinctive tartan scarf, you’ll know just how far those styles have come.
