Thomas Burberry (27 August 1835 – 4 April 1926) was an English gentlemen's outfitter, and the founder of international chain

Burberry Burberry is a British luxury fashion house established in 1856 by Thomas Burberry headquartered in London, England. It currently designs and distributes ready to wear, including trench coats (for which it is most famous), leather accessorie ...

, one of Britain's largest branded clothing businesses. He is also known as the inventor of

gabardine Gabardine Burberry advertisement for waterproof gabardine suit, 1908 Gabardine is a durable twill worsted wool, a tightly woven fabric originally waterproof and used to make suits, overcoats, trousers, uniforms, windbreakers, outerwear and ...

Early life and career beginnings

Born at Brockham Green near

Dorking Dorking () is a market town in Surrey in South East England, about south of London. It is in Mole Valley, Mole Valley District and the non-metropolitan district, council headquarters are to the east of the centre. The High Street runs roughl ...

in Surrey, and educated at Brockham Green Village School, Thomas Burberry was apprenticed to a local

draper Draper was originally a term for a retailer or wholesaler of cloth that was mainly for clothing. A draper may additionally operate as a cloth merchant or a haberdasher. History Drapers were an important trade guild during the medieval period, ...

's shop before he opened his outfitting business in Basingstoke in 1856. During this time, Basingstoke was just a small town with a population of only 4,500 people. Initially, his designs were inspired by everyday clothing worn by commoners. However later, Burberry began to experiment with the development of materials and clothing that could be used for outdoor activities such as fishing and hunting. His main interest was developing waterproof clothing as well as a wider range of products. To do so, he partnered with British cotton manufacturers, and aimed to provide weatherproof textiles that would appeal to the growing middle-class and countryside.

Career

Burberry's involvement in the development of waterproof sportsman clothing was showing to be a great success as his business was expanding rapidly. According to the census of 1871, Burberry was employing over 70 people. By 1878, he founded a larger factory, which focused on wholesale manufacturing and 'ready to wear' clothing, which employed over 200 workers by 1881. Burberry recognized the need for promotion and publicity and ensured that Lord Kitchener and Lord Baden-Powell both wore his weatherproofs. By these means he expanded his business into one of the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

's largest branded clothing businesses. In 1879, Burberry made the revolutionary discovery of

: a tough, tightly-woven and water-resistant fabric made from Egyptian cotton through an innovative process, which attracted positive reviews at the International Health Exhibition in

South Kensington South Kensington, nicknamed Little Paris, is a district just west of Central London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Historically it settled on part of the scattered Middlesex village of Brompton. Its name was supplanted with ...

and was patented in 1888. This discovery led Burberry to become a world-known name. He was featured in the trade journal ''Men's Wear'' in June 1904, where the new fabric was described as being resistant to hot and cold winds, rains and thorns, and would make an ideal weatherproof coat. With the success of gabardine, Burberry was able to order his son, Arthur, to start placing orders from the elites at the

Jermyn Street Jermyn Street is a one-way street in the St James's area of the City of Westminster in London, England. It is to the south of, parallel, and adjacent to Piccadilly. Jermyn Street is known as a street for gentlemen's-clothing retailers. Hist ...

Hotel, which ultimately led to the opening of Burberry's flagship store at 30 Haymarket. By 1891, it became a wholesale store, with popular pieces such as the "Walking Burberry". Burberry’s gabardine fabric was not just used by elites, but by explorers. In 1893, Norwegian polar explorer and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Dr. Fridtjof Nansen, became the first explorer to use gabardine on his trip to the Arctic Circle. British Explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton wore Burberry gabardine for a total of three expeditions in the early 20th century, including the famous Endurance Expedition.

Developing the trench coat

In 1900, Burberry was approached by the British War Office, and was asked to design a coat to replace the military's current heavy coats. This request led Burberry to create the famous gabardine

trench coat A trench coat or trenchcoat is a variety of coat made of waterproof heavy-duty fabric, originally developed for British Army officers before the First World War, and becoming popular while used in the trenches. Originally made from gabardine, ...

: "a lightweight cotton raincoat with a deep back yoke, epaulets, buckled cuff straps, a button-down storm flap on one shoulder, storm pockets, and D-ring belt clasps for the attachment of military gear". The coat became a staple product for World War I Soldiers, and eventually, became a staple product in regular civilian life as well. It became the main element of Burberry style, and continues to be present in media today. The trench coat was worn by Humprey Bogart, in '' Casablanca'', and Audrey Hepburn, in '' Breakfast at Tiffany's'', contributing to its fame as a style icon seen throughout the world.

Retirement and death

Burberry retired to Abbot's Court near Weymouth,

Dorset Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset. Covering an area of , ...

in 1917. He used his excess time to focus on religious and humanitarian beliefs. He focused on healthy living, which influenced him throughout his career by making clothes for soldiers and sportsman. He was a teetotaler and campaigned against

tobacco smoking Tobacco smoking is the practice of burning tobacco and ingesting the resulting smoke. The smoke may be inhaled, as is done with cigarettes, or simply released from the mouth, as is generally done with pipes and cigars. The practice is believed ...

. He was also a devout

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only ( believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compe ...

who liked to hold prayer meetings every morning. After witnessing the transition of his company from a small store to a public company,

, in 1920, Thomas Burberry peacefully died at his home at

Hook A hook is a tool consisting of a length of material, typically metal, that contains a portion that is curved or indented, such that it can be used to grab onto, connect, or otherwise attach itself onto another object. In a number of uses, one e ...

near Basingstoke in 1926, aged 90, of unspecified causes.

Family

He married twice, first to Catherine Hannah Newman and second to Mary Marshall. He had two sons and four daughters by his first marriage.

Portrayal in film

On 1 November 2016, Burberry released ''The Tale of Thomas Burberry'', a short film inspired by Thomas Burberry’s life and achievements, reimagining key events from the brand’s history. Filmed in the style of a cinematic trailer by Academy Award-winning director

Asif Kapadia Asif Kapadia (born 1972) is a British filmmaker. Academy Award, BAFTA and Grammy winning director Asif Kapadia has made his name directing visually striking films exploring ‘outsiders’, characters living in extreme circumstances, fighting ...

and written by Academy Award-nominee

Matt Charman Matt Charman (born June 5, 1979) is a British screenwriter, playwright, and producer from Horsham, West Sussex. He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for his 2015 film '' Bridge of Spies'', directed by Steven Spielber ...

, it starred actor Domhnall Gleeson as Thomas Burberry.

External links

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Burberry, Thomas 1835 births 1926 deaths 19th-century English businesspeople 20th-century English businesspeople Burberry people English Baptists English businesspeople in fashion English company founders English fashion designers Menswear designers People from Dorking Retail company founders British tailors 19th-century Baptists