Burberry

Prorsum

Identity

The Burberry fashion house was founded in 1856 in Basingstoke in Hampshire, UK, by Thomas Burberry, who was at the time an apprentice draper.

As a specialist in outdoor sportswear, the designer quickly established a wealthy clientele who devoted themselves to hunting and fishing.

The company developed rapidly and in 1870, Thomas Burberry hired more than 80 people.

Ten years later the designer invented gabardine, after a fruitless search for an alternative to rubber, which was the only waterproof material known at the time.

The material's success as a lighter and more comfortable alternative to rubber, allowed the Burberrys line (the “s” had not yet been dropped at the time) to open a new studio on London's Haymarket Street, in 1891.

Ten years later the Minister of Defense put Thomas Burberry in charge of creating new uniforms for the officers of the British Army.

Thomas Burberry then invented the Tielocken, a water resistant coat in gabardine that is considered the ancestor of today’s trench coat.

In the same year, the British label got a new logo, as the Equestrian Knight appeared as the label’s trademark.

It contained the Latin word Prorsum, meaning forwards, which would later become the name of the brand's diffusion line.

At the beginning of the First World War, the administration of the British Army called upon Thomas Burberry to create a new version of the Tielocken.

The designer invented a coat equipped with belt rings from which the wearer could hang grenades, maps and flasks; straps on the shoulders to secure a satchel, binoculars and gas mask; and large flaps on the chest designated to protect the heart: a coat designed for the trenches, or the "trench coat".

In 1924, Burberrys created the Nova Check, the label’s trademark plaid made up of beige; black, white and red checks.

On August 27 1926, Thomas Burberry passed away leaving the reigns to his sons Thomas Newman and Arthur Burberry, who in turn sold the family company over to the giant British retailing group, GUS, in 1955.

The brand was at the height of its glory in the 1950s.

Burberrys’designs were often seen on Hollywood's silver screen worn by Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca; Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s; and Gary Cooper and Marlene Dietrich in Morocco.

After appearances in popular television shows of the 1960s like Columbo and The Pink Panther, the label developed a full line of accessories, including bags, umbrellas, scarves, and luggage featuring the Nova Check after it was officially trademarked in 1967.

By the late 1990s, the Burberrys label had fallen into a severe crisis, largely due to Asian counterfeit products.

Faced with the brand’s downgrade, GUS steered the brand into a different direction by hiring Rose Mary Bravo as chief executive officer.

The CEO called on Fabien Baron, Mario Testino, and Kate Moss to rejuvenate the brand’s image.

In 1999, Burberrys abandoned the “s” to become Burberry and launched a new line, Burberry Prorsum, paying tribute the Latin origins of the fashion house.

The turn of the century thus marked Burberry’s revival, and in May 2001, Christopher Bailey took over as creative director after Roberto Menichetti.

Under Christopher Bailey’s direction, the overall brand was modernized and women’s ready-to-wear was revolutionized, Thomas Burberry, renamed Burberry London, was gearing itself toward a younger audience.

The fashion house also launched Burberry Brit in 2002, and Burberry Childrenswear followed in 2007.

Finally, the designer jumpstarted the company’s fragrance department, introducing new fragrances like Touch, Burberry Brit, The Beat, and Burberry Body in 2011.

In 2010 Burberry was the first luxury brand to join the Ethical Trading Initiative.

2015 sees the unification of the three Prorsum, London and Brit collections into one single Burberry label.

In 2018 Riccardo Tisci is appointed Chief Creative Officer. Burberry launches a new brand logo and monogram with Peter Saville.