10 Interesting Facts About the Burberry Trench Coat

ONE

The trench coast was created to go to war in.  Burberry designed the coat for the British soldiers that fought in the Boer War.

TWO

When soldiers returned from war, they continued to wear their trench coats.  The public quickly realized just how sturdy the coats were as they became a symbol of pride.

THREE

Thomas Burberry invented a rain-resistant fabric in the late 1800s.  Gabardine: A woven fabric that is used on numerous suits and overcoats.  The fabric was worn by polar explorers including the first man to reach the South Pole: Roald Amundsen.

FOUR

Thomas Burberry began as a draper’s assistant.  He opened his own store in 1856 when he was 21 years old: T. Burberry & Sons.  He focused on manufacturing quality outerwear.  Burberry opened his first store in London in 1891.

FIVE

In 1900, the British War Office commissioned Burberry to design an overcoat for them.  The overcoats that they were using were too heavy.  Burberry also designed coats for the British Royal Flying Corps during World War I.

SIX

Throughout the 1970s, Punks began to cherish Burberry trench coats.  By the 1980s numerous new trench coats were released by Burberry and an increased number of females began to wear the coats. 

SEVEN

In 1990, Roberto Menichetti (Burberry artistic director) released a new version of the trench coat.

EIGHT

Trench coats are composed of 10 buttons and come in classic colors: Khaki/Beige/Black.  They come with an extra layer of lining and cuffed wrist straps.

NINE

Aquascutum, a UK based brand, claims that they founded the trench coat in 1850.  The brand argues that they outfitted soldiers that fought in the Crimean War which lasted from 1853 to 1856.

TEN

Burberry is worth nearly $5 billion and remains most famous for its trench coats.  There are Burberry trench coats that cost over $35,000.