Burberry

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A British luxury fashion brand known for its iconic trench coats, distinctive check patterns, and high-quality clothing and accessories
2. A designer label specializing in premium outerwear and fashion items, recognized for its classic plaid motifs and refined British style
3. A well-established fashion house originating in England, famous for producing stylish raincoats, scarves, and other upscale apparel marked by a signature check design

Etymology: Burberry is named after Thomas Burberry, a Hampshire draper who opened a shop in Basingstoke in 1856. He was an outfitter who specialised in sportswear, and in 1879 he developed a densely woven, water-resistant cotton fabric he called gabardine. The brand name itself is simply his surname, which the company has used since the 1880s, when it began trading under the Burberry label. The famous check pattern came much later. Burberry's signature tartan-like design of beige, black, red and white was first used as a lining for its trench coats in the 1920s, and it was registered as a trademark in the 1920s and 1930s. Before that the coats were plain, and the coats themselves were first designed for officers in the First World War, which is why the pattern and the coat are so tightly linked in people's minds.

Synonyms: trench coat, raincoat, outerwear, fashion brand, luxury brand