How Burberry’s Trenchcoat Became Fashion’s Most Enduring Wardrobe Staple
As Burberry celebrates its 170th anniversary, its world-famous trench remains as influential as ever.
Lately, the trenchcoat has been reappearing on the world’s most scrutinized sidewalks, worn by figures such as Teyana Taylor, Lila Moss, and A$AP Rocky in versions that look pointedly unremarkable: belted, clean-lined, largely free of embellishment. Simple, perhaps—but impossible to ignore.
The trenchcoat did not begin its life as a style statement. In the late 19th century, Thomas Burberry developed gabardine, a tightly woven, breathable, weather-resistant fabric that represented a technical leap forward in outerwear. It was used in coats designed to endure prolonged exposure to the elements during trench combat in World War I—hence the name. The trench’s belt, epaulets, storm flaps, and cuff straps were strictly functional, with nothing added for effect.
What followed, once the war ended, was less reinvention than translation. The trench made a seamless transition into civilian life because, unlike many garments with martial origins, it did not need to be softened. Its authority—borrowed from uniforms—adapted easily into everyday dress; in an urban setting, it suggested a contained and unshowy sense of composure.
Models wearing coats from the brand’s autumn 1970 collection.
Cinema helped cement that image. On-screen, the trench became a supporting character, worn by Humphrey Bogart, Katharine Hepburn, Catherine Deneuve, and Meryl Streep, among many more. Its effect was sometimes romantic, other times ominous, but always quietly commanding. Off-screen, writers such as George Bernard Shaw and musicians like Liam Gallagher gravitated toward it for that very reason. Leonard Cohen was so attached to his that he immortalized it in the song “Famous Blue Raincoat.” The trench’s appeal has also extended into the contemporary art world. The performance artist Marina Abramovic is frequently seen in one and, in 2020, collaborated with Burberry on costumes for her opera project 7 Deaths of Maria Callas.
The company’s knight logo, designed circa 1901.
Within Burberry, which is celebrating its 170th anniversary this year, the trench has long functioned as a reference point—a garment the house returns to during moments of creative recalibration. Lengths have shifted; proportions have been adjusted; linings have come and gone. Designers have streamlined or embellished it, pulled it apart, and reassembled it into capes, dresses, and eveningwear. Yet, for all these interventions, it remains unmistakable. Burberry still cuts its heritage trenchcoats in Castleford, Yorkshire, not far from where the company’s gabardine production has been rooted for decades. The fundamentals remain stubbornly consistent.
That combination of adaptability and restraint explains why the trench continues to travel so well. From the Swinging Sixties through Cool Britannia in the ’90s and into the algorithmic present, it has remained a fixed point in British style, even as it has been embraced globally. “The Burberry trench is a quintessentially British piece that never dates,” says Kate Moss, who has modeled for the house for decades and wore a hybrid version of the coat to the Met Gala in 2022. “It’s a definite staple in my wardrobe and a look I go to time and time again.” In a fashion culture increasingly defined by noise and novelty, the trench’s power lies in its refusal to compete. It does not insist on relevance—it simply endures.
Lead image clockwise from top left: courtesy of Burberry (2); Central Press/Getty Images; courtesy of Burberry; Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images; Fox Photos/Hulton Archive/Getty Images.
