Designer Brands: Burberry

Burberry is an English fashion house that began life back in 1856. Thomas Burberry, just 21 years old and a former draper’s apprentice, opened his first store in the town of Basingstoke. By 1870, the business had carved something of a reputation for itself by concentrating on clothes for the great outdoors, and ultimately this focus led to the creation of a material called gabardine in 1880, which was a tough, breathable fabric that could shed water, like a kind of 19th Century Goretex.

Burberry leant his name to the store, but then noticed that many customers began calling it ‘Burberrys’. Perhaps shrewdly, he followed suit, at least for a while, and this is why older products carry an extra ‘s’ in the name. In 1891, Burberry opened a shop in the Haymarket, London. This still exists and until recently served as their headquarters. They now reside at Horseferry House, behind the Houses of Parliament. In 1895 the ‘Tielocken’ was introduced. This design was the precursor to the trench coat and was adopted by officers in The Boer War. In 1911 they outfitted Roald Amundsen, a Norwegian who became the first man to reach the South Pole. In 1914 the company was commissioned by Britain’s War Office to update officers’ coats, and thus was born the now famous “trench coat”. The instantly recognizable Burberry plaid was designed in the 1920s and used as a lining in trench coats, which became more and more popular among civilians. It’s the most recognizable aspect of the brand, but it didn’t start to be used widely until 1967, when it found its way onto accessories like umbrellas, scarves, and luggage.

Burberry remained an independent company until 1955. It was then acquired by Great Universal Stores and finally floated on the stock exchange in 2002. Burberry currently has over 70 shops worldwide. Burberry Group is a great British success story that sells clothing, fragrance, and fashion accessories around the world, but unfortunately during the 1970s, the brand became like a uniform with some soccer hooligans in the UK. It has taken a concerted effort to maintain the image in the face of this, but canny advertising in the likes of GQ, Esquire and Vogue have been successful. British talent like Kate Moss, Agyness Deyn and Emma Watson have helped to keep the brand aloft. While lots of designer clothing can be on the expensive side, accessories allow the style conscious to accentuate any look. The right shoes or scarf can turn even a plain old jeans and tshirt combination into something more exciting. Burberry’s accessories are superbly stylish and their sunglasses particularly so. The women’s 4037 frames, for example offer a bold look, particularly in red. The chunky side arms bear what seems like a nod to the signature check, a crosshatch pattern that hints at pedigree but stays modern and versatile. Add a scarf and you’re good to go. Who knew English heritage didn’t have to look dusty?

Yet, if you want to buy the wholesale Burberry handbags, you can go to www.savefromChina.com. There are wholesale from China with high quality and cheap price. You can find the wholesale designer handbags to fit your wear.