Trenches to rainbows: the story of the Burberry check

On Saturday, Burberry’s chief creative officer, Christopher Bailey, is bringing the curtain down on his 17-year tenure at the British brand – but not before delivering a statement-making iteration of its famous check. The new rainbow check “is dedicated to – and in support of – some of the best and brightest organisations supporting LGBTQ+ youth around the world,” says Bailey, who has incorporated the pattern extensively into his final collection for the house, set to be unveiled in full at London fashion week this weekend. During his two decades at the top (which saw him take on the role of CEO for four years between 2013 and 2017 after Angela Ahrendts left for Apple), the designer has seen the rise, the fall – Daniella Westbrook, circa 2002 – and the subsequent rise – and rise – in popularity of the heritage signature. Here is a rundown of the Burberry signature in its hey and nay days.

Which came first, the trench or the check? It happens that Burberry was making gabardine trenchcoats for decades before it started to line them with plaid check in the late 1910s. Registered as a trademark in 1921, the check – a beige background with black, white and red intersecting stripes – quickly became the most recognisable characteristic of the brand. The royal family were fans, granting it multiple royal warrants and cementing the label’s status as a heritage British house.

When Bailey came on board in 2001, the brand went through an image overhaul. Supermodels Kate Moss and Liberty Ross were enlisted to star in campaigns photographed by Mario Testino (a relationship that was halted this year, in the wake of sexual harrassment allegations against Testino), which were candidly shot and covered in the traditional check. The check’s fashion credentials climb.

Source: theguardian