The world's most replicated brand: Burberry's brand story

Burberry was founded in 1856 in England, Hampshire, Basingstoke by Thomas Burberry, 21 years old, who left the dry goods where he worked to start his own business. Thomas Burberry first started working on outdoor clothing intensively. Many available fabric trials failed to get the performance they wanted. Finally, he invented his own breathable, weather-resistant fabric, the "gabardin" in 1879. The unavoidable rise of the brand in 1888, which patented the gabardin fabric, began. 

With its weather-resistant, breathable fabric, Burberry, who is associated with soldiers, climbers, pilots, adventurers, was appealing to a different part of society and meant "free spirit." In 1891, Burberry opened a shop in London. 

Between 1914-1918, Burberry produced clothing and equipment for soldiers during World War I. We know it as the birth of the "trench coat". After the war, these "trench coat" spread very quickly in England and became a way of life. The Burberry ecose pattern, now registered as a trademark in 1920, was introduced as a lining of trench coats. 

In 1967, Burberry started to make scarf and umbrella with the plaid model and eventually became a brand associated with Britain's upper class. Throughout the 1970 and 1980, Burberry signed agreements with manufacturers around the world to produce a wide range of clothing and accessories for men, women and children to complement the British collection. 

There was a break in the story of the brand, which had produced fabric and clothes that it had designed to offer an elite lifestyle. In 2000, the brand was identified by the "chav culture", an extension of the British working class. Of course, the "chav culture" is a negative influence on Burberry's sales. From the beginning, it was a symbol of a noble quest, and this transformation caused the brand to bleed. 

Burberry rediscussed the branding process to become a contemporary, innovative, bold and luxurious brand. First, Burberry started looking for a new designer, and he made a deal with Christopher Bailey in 2001. Bailey was a great talent that hadn't been noticed yet, and she got into Burberry with a whole new atmosphere. She came up with a different idea and suggested that her brand face be chosen as Kate Moss. Bailey, she did well. This sudden "cool" image sales have also been positive. 

Burberry started to license his products to improve his success. This provided a fast cash flow, but also led to an increase in counterfeit products. So that famous plaid fabric started to be made and sold everywhere.

Innovation time 

A phone without Internet access was no longer considered. Burberry realized it and quickly moved the brand to the digital world. This has been a big and effective step toward creating a brand story for Burberry. Burberry didn't limit this innovation movement to the website either. It cared about digital interaction with his customers and put social media among his goals. However, it has added tremendous energy to Burberry’s re-branding effort. 

All this innovation has brought back the brand's reputation and adventurous spirit. It was a good choice to go back and look back at their corporate history, reinterpret their history from a contemporary perspective. It was certainly no coincidence that the brand was still at the center of innovation, style, fashion. 

Burberry in the world 

Since 2014, Burberry has been working directly with more than 500 stores worldwide. The brand was recognized as an industry leader in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index in the 'Textile, Apparel and Luxury Products' sector. Burberry became the first consumer-ready brand to buy their collections immediately after the fashion shows. The brand, known worldwide, has also proven its quality over and over again, especially since the past, by dressing the celebrities and royal family.

In 2017, Burberry and Royal College of Art (RCA) announced the establishment of the Burberry Material Futures Research Group to implement radical ideas to transform new sustainable materials, consumer experience and creativity.

The Burberry brand has joined the Ellen Macarthur Foundation 'Make Fashion Circular' initiative as a key partner to helping to develop solutions and work for the cyclical economy to some of the biggest environmental problems the fashion industry has faced. The Burberry brand became the world's most valuable ninety-eighth brand, which produces bags, shoes, perfume and accessories in the categories of women, men and children, especially clothing.