Burberry is one of the most recognized fashion brands. The celebrities love it and wear it in everything from hats to scarves to coats to bags to shoes. Burberry is a favorite of the rich elite and celebrity crowd around the world. Sporting a Burberry handbag is a status symbol as well as a tasteful fashion statement. Burberry is a classic, and everyone should have at least one piece.
Burberry has a long and distinguished history. It was founded in 1856 when the 21-year-old Thomas Burberry, an ambitious Draper’s assistant, opened an outfitters shop in Winchester Street, Basingstoke, Hampshire, England. Thomas Burberry was not just interested in making and selling clothes, but also in the reasons why they were worn. By the 1870s the firm had specialized in clothing for outdoor pursuits catering to the well-off to such good effect that its wares became increasingly fashionable. Thomas Burberry opened his first store in London in the late 1800’s. He started out designing and manufacturing trench coats and then moved on to handbags.
Thomas created the breathable fabric gabardine, which is a very durable water resistant fabric and was patented in 1888, and in that revolutionized the outerware world of fashion. Burberry continued specializing in outerwear for the next 100 years, untill the fashion revolution of the 1960s when London became the center of the fashion scene with the Beatles and Twiggy leading the set, and Burberry made a stab into the fashion world. Thomas Burberry died in 1926 at age 91, but it wasn’t until 1955 when UK retail giant Great Universal Stores (GUS) stepped in and purchased the brand. GUS brought Burberry to new levels and helped turn the check pattern into a prestige symbol.
Today, Burberry boasts an impressive list of collections ranging from high-end catwalk to ready-to-wear and accessories. Burberry Group plc designs, sources, manufactures, and distributes luxury apparel and accessories for women, men, and children. It offers rainwear, outerwear, and apparel for men, women, and children, as well as accessories, such as bags, purses, wallets, shoes, ties, belts, jewelry, watches, sunglasses, scarves, hats, umbrellas, and fragrances under the Burberry brand.
Burberry is one of the few designers in the industry who have a definite element in each of their incredible designs. If you’re familiar with the Burberry label, you’ll know the selling point of their pieces (in addition to the high quality and timeless style they offer) is the black, red, camel and white checkered print. Burberry does the metallic thing so well though, especially on the Quilted Leah Tote. This is everything put together in one snazzy package: glamorous, trendy and functional.
Burberry is a high end fashion house. Although the company has went through very successful times and times when it was considered almost old fashioned - the company has retained its appeal and regained its status among world class fashion houses. Burberry is a brand with great roots and great talent working for it today.