The trench coat was not created with the intention of being used in the war that takes its name, which was fought in muddy, murderous trenches across Europe. However, it was during World War I that this now-iconic garment took on the shape we know today, a design that, although being almost a century old, remains startlingly present.
The trench coat is both a product and a representation of the unique historical era that World War I occupies, when everything – from rigidly held social structures to military organisation to fashion – was in upheaval; it is both a product and a symbol of this time. “It’s the result of the scientific innovation, technology, mass production… The story of the trench coat is a very modern story” (Tynan, 2011).
Keeping fit during wartime was not only appealing to the military, but also to citizens. In clothing advertisements during the early 1900s, sport created images that reconciled the social values of peace and wartime. Graham Dawson termed this merging of war and play the ‘pleasure-culture of war’ (Dawson, 1994). Formal physical training programmes and organised sports had become a part of army life by 1914. Competitive games were played in field sports, which cultivated upper-class culture. They were useful not just for identity but also for physical training and social propaganda (Campbell, 2000). As Burberry was recognised for outdoor leisure clothing innovations, they exploited the link between conflict and recreation. Burberry's visual rhetoric included the country gentleman's leisure, the masculinity of tailoring practises, and the regenerative potential of the working nation. After the war, it transformed into a fashion statement for men and women alike thanks to movie stars who wore the stylish coat on film (Fashion Gone Rouge, 2017).
The trench coat's major characteristics are epaulettes, storm flaps, buckles, and metal D-rings, as well as its length (it should strike at the ankles or calves). Traditionally, the coat was embellished with ten buttons, five on each side. Even today, these trademark details may be found on the Burberry coat. The classic Burberry check print in red and beige began to line the coat in the 1920s (Fashion Gone Rouge, 2017).
Until Christopher Bailey became Burberry's creative director in 2001, the trench coat remained largely unchanged. His job at Burberry was to reinvent the brand and restore its sense of elegance, as the company had acquired a target audience it didn't want (Braddock-Clarke, 2017). Bailey's new vision for the company ushered them into the twenty-first century, entering a new era of trench coats, worn by celebrities and influencers such as, Kate Moss, Cara Delevingne and Kate Middleton.
Burberry's visual identity is built around the trench coat, which is one of the most important items in their collection. The notion of this coat has evolved over time, from something that was once functional to something that is now a fashion staple. The video below is a 2017 advertisement for Burberry's trench coats and scarves in black and white. This is to demonstrate that Burberry remains timeless, and that it is still a brand that values its legacy and the origins of the company.
[Video 1]
References
Campbell, J (2000) ‘“Training for Sport is Training for War”: Sport and the Transformation of the British Army, 1860– 1914’, The International Journal of the History of Sport, vol. 17, pp. 21–58.
Fashion Gone Rouge (2017) The Burberry Trench Coat: The History of an Iconic Staple [Online] Available at: https://www.fashiongonerogue.com/burberry-trench-coat-history/ [Accessed 11/21]
Dawson, G (1994) Soldier Heroes, Routledge, London, pp. 233–58.
Yan, S (2019) The brief history of Burberry’s Trench Coats Medium [Online] Available at: https://medium.com/exploring-burberry/the-brief-history-of-burberrys-trench-coats-893dc453117c [Accessed 11/21]
Valenti, L (2018) Riccardo Tisci Makes His Burberry Debut—And Proves Why the Best Makeup Mirrors a Trench, Vogue [Online] Available at: https://www.vogue.com/article/burberry-spring-2019-london-fashion-week-riccardo-tisci-debut-hair-makeup-trench-coat [Accessed 11/21]
Braddock-Clarke, S (2017) Caped Crusader: Burberry Looks to Henry Moore for Inspiration. Selvedge, September/October 2017 (78). pp. 62-65.
Wigley, S; Nobbs, K; Larsen, E (2013) Making the Marque: Tangible Branding in Fashion Product and Retail Design, Fashion Practice, 5:2,245-263, DOI: 10.2752/175693813X13705243201577
[Image 1] Claire, (2017) History of The Trench Coat: Military Necessity To Fashion Accessory Contrado [Online] Available at: https://www.contrado.co.uk/blog/history-of-the-trench-coat/ [Accessed 11/21]
[Image 2] Tyler, M; Carreon, J (2017) How Christopher Bailey Reimagined Burberry's Iconic Trench Coat, Elle, [Online image] Available at: https://www.elle.com/fashion/g13129394/christopher-bailey-burberry-iconic-trench/ [Accessed: 11/21]
[Video 1] Burberry (2017) Burberry Trench Coats and Scarves – Alisdair Mclennan, Yorkshire [Online video] Available at: https://youtu.be/O1FTeQyEViQ [Accessed 11/21]
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