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About the Burberry brand
The Burberry brand was founded in 1856. The founder, Thomas Burberry, opened his first shop in England at the age of 21 years old; and decided to specialise his production in outdoor wear.
In 1880, one event changed the destiny of Burberry for ever. Thomas invented a revolutionary new material: Gabardine. Meanwhile, Thomas Burberry opened his first shop in London in 1881, named Burberry & sons.
In 1901, the famous logo of the brand appeared. The well-known “equestrian Knight” represents a knight in armour riding his horse. Above the logo, the inscription Prorsum literally means “forward march” in Latin. In the 20s, a new symbol appeared: “the nova check”. In 1914, it was firstly used as the lining of a trench coat.
A delightful story needs to be highlighted. King Edward VII was already calling his trench coat: “Burberry”. The cinema also contributed to the brand awareness in films such as ”Breakfast at Tiffany’s”, “The Pink Panther” and more recently in the famous series which has become a legendary film “Sex and the City”.
In 1988, the brand wanted to attract younger and more feminine customers and a new line was created: Thomas Burberry. The flagship models of the brand were redesigned. At the same time, the fashion house launches a customized service for its best customers. In 1999, a new line was created: Burburry Prorsum.
In 2006, the brand celebrated its 150th anniversary. To celebrate this, a tribute collection was launched “Our Burberry Icons Collection”.
Designer
Burberry has managed to modernize thanks to a talented young creative director called Christopher Bailey.
After graduating from the Royal College of Art in 1994, he took his first steps at Gucci and Donna Karan. He joined the British Institution in 2001. He is now responsible for both the collections of the brand and also its image...
Christopher Bailey boasts of the modernity of the brand which allows him to assert his personality. The brand standards have been revisited: puffed sleeves have made a guest appearance on the catwalk. New colours have been introduced.
He has chosen the most well-known personalities in vogue to represent the brand. Emma Watson has become the new face of the brand. The advertising of the brand has been shot by the famous Peruvian photographer Mario Testino.
The rise of Christopher Bailey is continuing. He was elected Designer of the Year in 2009.