Burberry for Men

Burberry was founded in 1856 when 21-year-old Thomas Burberry, a former draper’s apprentice, opened his own store in Hampshire, England. By 1870 the business had well established itself by focusing on the development of outdoor attire. Few realise that it was in1880 when Burberry invented the textile gabardine; the hardwearing, water-resistant yet breathable fabric, and was patented in 1888.

In 1904, after opening a shop in London which still exists today, the Burberry Equestrian Knight Logo was developed containing the Latin word “Prorsum”, meaning “forward”, and registered as a trademark. In 1914 Burberry was commissioned to adapt its officres’ coat to suit the conditions of contemporary warfare, resulting in the trench coat. After the war, the trench coat became popular with civilians. The iconic Burberry check was created in the 1920s and used as a lining in its trench coats. Even Humphrey Bogart used one in Casablanca.

In an attempt to revitalise the brand New Yorker Rose Marie Bravo became the Chief Executive Officer in 1997. Kate Moss starred in the initial advertising campaign. Today, Burberry Prorsum is considered an A-list item with the fashion-it crowd and the Design Director since 2001 is Christopher Bailey.

For Spring 2008 it seemed as if the late Thomas Burberry himself dressed both military generals and the extreme-sports aficionados of his day, as Bailey was loyal to the Burberry archives for this season.

This translated into a slew of intense colours and high-tech fabrics played off against more sober tailoring. Coats were cut fuller in the sleeve (“like the last King Henry,” he said). Military moments included gold metallic dangling braid and fringed epaulets. Gold-foil snakeskin and something looking like “smoked plastic” made this ultra modern, suggesting that Bailey formulated his own idiosyncratic take on what might constitute glamour for the Burberry label. Some thought it weird, others…wonderful.