Is Burberry Made in China?

The famous luxury brand from Britain has famously used “made in Britain” since its start. But is Burberry made in Britain? Today, the reality is looking different. Burberry is producing many of its items in China. Already in 2007, Burberry moved some of its production from Treorchy, a 70-year-old Burberry factory, to China.

Where is Burberry Made?

But the brand is not only producing its goods in China. As a global company, they produce goods all over the world. The popularity of the brand has forced the manufacturing to expand to keep up the supply with the demand.

Most of the products are made in China and Italy at this point. Some of the goods are, although, manufactured in Britain, as stated in Burberry’s marketing. You can also find Burberry production in countries such as Spain, France, Germany, Monaco, Poland, Romania, India, the US and Korea.

Where is the Burberry Heritage Trench Coat Made?

Burberry is stating on their website that the trench coat is made in England. It’s their way to live up to the commitment to “protect British manufacturing”. The production of the trench coat has been protected for many years, journalists have rarely been able to enter the factory, and a camera is something they can dream about bringing during the visit.

East trench coat is made in a highly complex process out of 80 different pieces put together. Even the old design, which included “d-rings”, a hand grenade holder, is still present on today’s coats.

To see whether the coat is real or fake, look at the inside tag where you can find the Burberry logo. The small symbol is a knight and the knight should be sharply defined. It’s one of the signatures of Burberry’s Heritage Trench coat.

Where is the Burberry Cashmere Scarf Made?

The Burberry Cashmere Scarf is made in Scotland at the historical sites in the towns of Elgin and Ayr. In Johnstons of Elgin, cashmere has been part of the town since 1979, making it one of the oldest places to produce quality goods.

Alex Begg in Ayr has been producing cashmere since 1866 and started its production in Paisley. In 1902, Alex Begg moved its production from Paisley to Ayr because of the water quality. It was perceived that the water was softer and richer in minerals in Ayr.

Burberry is also stating ”Other types of Burberry cashmere scarves may be made in other countries” on its website. They do not specify what countries that might be, but there are several reports online that some of the production is made in China.

Where is Burberry’s Leather Made?

In 2018, Burberry announced that they made a strategic investment into a leather goods production unit in Italy. The company CF&P, a longstanding partner to Burberry, was acquired to continue the production of bags, accessories and apparel.

The production is located in Scandicci, Italy.

The Trend of Moving Production from West to the East

Burberry is only one of many luxury brands that are moving some of their production from high-cost countries, such as the UK, to cheaper production countries such as China and other Asian countries.

The reality today is that China is no longer a cheap place for brands to produce their goods, in relation to what other south-east Asian countries can offer.

Burberry specifically said that it’s not economically viable to keep all of the production in the UK. It seems like less complicated wear such as t-shirts and jeans are better and cheaper produced in the east.

Conclusion

Burberry is producing some of its goods in China, however, it’s just a part of the reality. The classical trench coat is still made in a highly complicated process in the UK and the cashmere scarves are still made in Scotland.

There are more and more items being produced all over, including China, to meet demand.

What we can see is increased know-how in many different countries which companies such as Burberry use to meet the growing demand for luxury items.

Production of the Heritage Trench Coat took 15 weeks to produce a decade ago. Today, that process takes 6.5 hours.

A move from European production doesn’t necessarily mean a reduction in quality, but rather that the product knowledge has democratized.