Ten Words: Ep. 16 THOMAS BURBERRY

“There’s no such thing as bad weather just bad
clothing”.

This is not just the story of how I fell in love with a ‘brand’
in 3 minutes, but a tale of passion, purpose, love, loss, tragedy
and adventure. In this special episode I dig deep into the archives
to discover the real story behind Thomas Burberry in an effort to
try and understand what made him tick.

What I discovered was not what I expected. A far cry from the
$5Bn luxury fashion house you see today, Burberry not only had very
humble beginnings, but it was built upon an invention that was
discovered by accident in a farmers field. That innovation made it
possible for explorers, pioneers and adventurers to go further and
higher than anyone else had ever gone.

If you are interested in fashion, the process of innovation,
branding, entrepreneurship or just good old fashioned storytelling,
this episode might be just what you’ve been looking for.

LINKS

TIMELINE

• 1835 Born Thomas Burberry was born
  in 1835 in Brockham Green, Surrey.
• 1856 (Age 21) The Burberry fashion
  house was founded in 1856 in Basingstoke in Hampshire, UK, by
  Thomas Burberry, who was at the time an apprentice
  draper.

   

  As a
  specialist in outdoor sportswear, the designer quickly established
  a wealthy clientele who devoted themselves to hunting and
  fishing.

   

  Burberry was founded on the principle that
  clothing should be designed to protect people from the British
  weather.

• 1861 the census reveals that he was
  employing in his shop 7 men, 3 boys and 7 females.
• Burberry began to researching and experimenting with
  materials to produce fabrics which were weatherproof and suitable
  for clothing customers who enjoyed the country pursuits of fishing,
  hunting and riding.
• The company developed rapidly and in 1870, Thomas
  Burberry is described as a “draper and manufacturer employing 80
  hands”.
• 1879 almost Ten years later the
  designer invented gabardine, after a fruitless search for an
  alternative to rubber (Aquascutum), which was the only waterproof
  material known at the time.

  his innovative
  research and design resulted in a breathable, weatherproof and
  tear-proof fabric called Gabardine. The material was light and
  ventilated, but protected the wearer from the extremes of the
  weather.

  The material’s success as a lighter and more
  comfortable alternative to rubber, allowed the Burberrys line (the
  “s” had not yet been dropped at the time)

• Thomas Burberry invents gabardine – the breathable,
  weatherproof and hardwearing fabric revolutionising rainwear –
  which up until then had typically been heavy and uncomfortable to
  wear.
• Thomas Burberry soon lobbied well-known British
  generals to adorn his gabardine. the Minister of Defense put
  Thomas Burberry in charge of creating new uniforms for the officers
  of the British Army. Thomas Burberry then invented the
  Tielocken, a water resistant coat in gabardine that is
  considered the ancestor of today’s trench coat.
• 1881 His business expanded further
  and clearly he was making money. He moved to a house in Basingstoke
  which had 160 acres, staffed with a number of servants, and a
  governess to look after his six children (1881 census).
• 1888 Gabardine patented (9 years
  later – SLOW – Why? Purpose? Commercial intent?)
• 1891 The company expanded with a
  shop opening in Haymarket, London, in 1891, and in Reading,
  Manchester, Liverpool, and Winchester. Burberry’s products were
  also sold through thousands of agencies. Exports abroad began with
  wholesale branches being opened in Paris, New York and Buenos
  Aires.
• 1893 Norwegian polar explorer,
  zoologist and recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, Dr Fridtjof
  Nansen is the first recorded polar explorer to take Burberry
  gabardine to the poles when he sets sail bound for the Arctic
  Circle.
• 1901 “LOGO” The
  Equestrian Knight logo appears for the first time accompanied by
  the Latin word ‘Prorsum’ meaning ‘forwards’. The company
  runs a public competition to design a new logo for the brand. The
  winning entry is inspired by 13th and 14th-century armour on
  display at The Wallace Collection in London – and the Equestrian
  Knight Device is born
• 1908 Air Commodore Edward Maitland
  wears Burberry gabardine to travel from Crystal Palace to Russia in
  a hot air balloon. Covering a distance of 1,117 miles in 31 ½
  hours, he sets the world’s long-distance overseas record and the
  British long-distance in-flight record.
• 1910 Celebrated aviator Claude
  Grahame-White wears Burberry gabardine. He is the first person to
  fly between London and Manchester in less than 24 hours.
• 1911 Norwegian Explorer Roald
  Amundsen and his team became the first people to reach the South
  Pole with a Burberry gabardine tent and clothing.
• 1912 British Explorer Captain
  Robert Falcon Scott reaches the South Pole wearing Burberry
  clothing and equipped with a Burberry tent. Tragically he and his
  team died on the return journey.
• 1912 The Tielocken coat, designed
  by Thomas Burberry, is patented. Considered the predecessor to the
  trench coat, the Tielocken closes with a single strap and buckle
  fastening and only features a button at the collar.
• 1914 Acclaimed British Explorer Sir
  Ernest Shackleton wears Burberry gabardine for three expeditions in
  the early 20th century, including the ill-fated Endurance
  expedition.
• 1914 The Burberry trench coat is
  refined during the First World War. The functional design includes
  epaulettes used to suspend military equipment such as gloves and
  whistles, D-rings used to carry grenades, the gun flap to provide
  additional protection when in action and the storm shield to allow
  water to run off it smoothly.
• 1917: Thomas Burberry retired from
  the company in 1917 (BEFORE END OF WWI)
• 1919 HM King George V officially
  appointed Burberry a Royal Warrant as Tailors.
• 1920 – Burberry’s Limited goes
  public – raising £2M share capital
• 1920 Nova check The Burberry check,
  now registered as a trademark, is introduced as a lining to our
  rainwear.
• 1934 – same day delivery to anyone
  living in London in own vehicle
• 1937 Burberry sponsors a
  record-breaking flight from Croydon to Cape Town in an aeroplane
  called ‘The Burberry’. Both aviators, Flying Officer Arthur
  Clouston and Betty Kirby-Green, wear Burberry.
• 1940s During the Second World War,
  Burberry supplied the British Army with a range of military apparel
  and accessories, including the trench coat. Burberry also catered
  for various other divisions of the British Armed Forces, including
  the Royal Air Force (RAF), the Royal Navy, the Royal Pioneer Corps,
  the Officer Cadet Training Unit (OCTU), and the Auxiliary
  Territorial Service (ATS) – including the women’s division.
• Despite the austere conditions posed by war,
  Burberry continued to make civilian clothing during the 1940’s
  including weatherproofs, overcoats and suits for both men and
  women. The brand adapted the product category to war time to
  include women’s siren suits, which were designed to be worn in an
  air-raid.
• By 1965 One in five coats exported
  from Britain is a Burberry product.