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| Burberry is a U.K. based outfitter, manufacturing clothing and other apparel, often in a distinctive check pattern. The company has branded stores and franchises around the world, and also sells through concessions in third party stores. It also runs a catalogue business and has a fragrance line. Both Queen Elizabeth and The Prince of Wales have granted the company Royal Warrants.
Burberry clothing was founded in 1856 when 21-year-old Thomas Burberry, a former draper's apprentice, opened his own store in Basingstoke, Hampshire. By 1870 the business had become well established and focused on the development of outdoors attire.
In 1880 Thomas Burberry invented gabardine fabric, which is hardwearing, water-resistant, yet breathable, in which the yarn is waterproofed before weaving. A patent was taken out for this in 1888. In 1891 Thomas Burberry opened an emporium in the Haymarket, London, which still stands today as the company's headquarters. Ten years later, the company was commissioned by the War Office to design a new service uniform for British officers.
The company also became the outfitters for Roald Amundsen's 1911 Antarctic expedition, which became the first to reach the South Pole, and then to Ernest Shackleton on his 1914 attempt to cross Antarctica. When war broke out in Europe that year, the company modified its military designs to suit the conditions of contemporary warfare encountered by British troops, and the trenchcoat was created. After the war trenchcoats became popular with civilians and, over the years, the design has been worn by Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca, Peter Sellers in the Pink Panther films, and Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's.
The red, white, black, and camel check, known as the "Nova" has come to be synonymous with Burberry. It was first used as a lining for the company's trenchcoat in 1924, although it was not widely used as an outer layer until the late 1960s. By then the Burberry Check was used on items including umbrellas, scarves and luggage, and was registered as a trademark.
Once mainly the preserve of upper-middle class older women, the patronage of celebrities in the UK and U.S., including David and Victoria Beckham and hip-hop artists, gave it wider appeal. During the 1980s the brand became popular with the British football casual cult, leading to it to being associated with "chavs", hooligans and members of football firms in the 2000s.
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