Burberry (lse: BRBY) is a British luxury fashion house, manufacturing clothing and fashion accessories. Its distinctive plaid pattern has become one of its most widely copied trademarks. The company has branded stores and franchises around the world, and also sells through concessions in third-party stores. It runs a catalogue business and has a fragrance line. HM Queen Elizabeth II and HRH The Prince of Wales have granted the company Royal Warrants. Burberry's trademark products are its fashionable handbags and exclusive fragrances. The Design Director is Christopher Bailey. The Company is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a consituent of the FTSE 250 Index.

Early years

Burberry was founded in 1856 when 21-year-old Thomas Burberry (1835 - 1926), a former draper's apprentice, opened his own store in Basingstoke, Hampshire, England.Burberry History By 1870 the business had established itself by focusing on the development of outdoors attire. In 1880 Burberry invented gabardine, a hardwearing, water-resistant yet breathable fabric, in which the yarn is waterproofed before weaving. The Gabardine was patented in 1888. Burberry was the original name, but then soon switched to Burberrys, after many customers from around the world began calling it Burberrys of London. This name is still visible on many older Burberry products.

In 1914 Burberry was commissioned by the War Office to adapt its officer's 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.

Burberry also specially designed aviation garments. A. E. Clouston and Mrs. Betsy Kirby Green made the fastest flying time to Cape Town from London in 1937 and were sponsored by Burberry.

Recent history

Burberry was an independent company until 1955, when it was bought by Great Universal Stores (GUS). Burberry Group plc was initially floated on the London Stock Exchange in July 2002. GUS spun off its remaining interest in Burberry in December 2005.

In 2006 Rose Marie Bravo, who as Chief Executive had led Burberry to mass market success, retired.

Operations

To complement the Burberry USA online store, the UK in October 2006 launched their transactional store, and in March 2007, extended order fulfilment across selected European countries. In November 2007, fulfilment was again extended to the whole of the EU. Both sites offer the latest new arrivals and classic pieces.