The Art of the Trench Coat: Burberry Brand Strategy

Exploring the concept of a single brand article, captivating market share and perception

There are a series of brands that found their legacy based on the proposition of a single product — and they can either build on that foundation, over time, or they become mired in it.

This tradition could be found in the legacy of Louis Vuitton, where luggage built an evolution, along with the relationships to the strategy of the leadership of LVMH, to engage in the building of a holistic lifestyle brand. Time and growth has told of their success in this tradition. Others fall into this heritage of foundation, building on this single grouping of objects, that then later emerges into integrated offerings in the bigger business of brand storytelling and marketing. It might be said that Burberry falls into this category of positioning.

And that has been both a struggle and later a boon. Even as early as 2002, in a notation from the BBCNews, transitions were underway, “Burberry, with its distinctive red, black and camel check, has become a must-have fashion brand. Stars including Madonna, Kate Moss and David Beckham have sported Burberry goods, helping to boost its image. In just a few years it has lost its hopelessly old-fashioned status and become a modern luxury brand selling perfume, shoes and bikinis alongside its traditional coats and bags. And in July Burberry will make its debut on the London stock market.”

The history of the brand reaches to a martial legacy — therein, the art of the trench. What does that mean, the trench as a foundation? Mud, dirt, protections, escarpments of defense? Actually, no — surely linked to the military, but more so to a kind of fashionable containment, and the statement of leadership.

Wikipedia offers that “The trench coat was developed as an alternative to the heavy serge greatcoats worn by British and French soldiers in the First World War. Invention of the trench coat is claimed by both Burberry and Aquascutum, with Aquascutum’s claim dating back to the 1850s. Thomas Burberry, the inventor of gabardine fabric, submitted a design for an army officer’s raincoat to the United Kingdom War Office in 1901.

The trench coat became an optional item of dress in the British Army, and was obtained by private purchase by officers and Warrant Officers Class I who were under no obligation to own them — yet no one beneath that military class was allowed to wear them. That military adornment, was contracted during the First World War — the design of the trenchcoat was modified to include shoulder straps and D-rings. The shoulder straps were for the attachment of epaulettes or other rank insignia; a legendary detail suggests that the D-ring was for the attachment of hand grenades. However, it was another form of equipage, the ring was originally for map cases and swords or other equipment to the belt. This latter pattern was dubbed “trench coat” by the soldiers in the front line. Many veterans returning to civilian life kept the coats that became fashionable for both men and women.

A typical trench coat by this period was a ten-buttoned, double-breasted long coat made with tan, khaki, beige, or black fabric. Trench coats often have cuff straps on the raglan sleeves, shoulder straps and a belt. The trench coat was typically worn as a windbreaker or as a rain jacket, and not for protection from the cold in winter or snowy conditions.