Burberry

Burberry's outerwear rests on gabardine, a tightly woven, breathable cloth its founder developed in 1879 and patented in 1888. Thomas Burberry, a former draper's apprentice, had opened his first shop in Basingstoke, Hampshire, in 1856, at 21. During the First World War the house developed the trench coat for military use, and its heritage trench coats are still made at its factory in Castleford, Yorkshire. The House Check, first used as a rainwear lining in the 1920s, remains a signature. Daniel Lee, chief creative officer since 2022, has renewed the focus on artisanship.