Burberry Handbags
The Burberry Story
You can’t keep your eyes off of the Burberry check Hobo handbag in the window. The furthest thing from your mind is Gabardine and how it was invented. As you daydream of walking down this street with your Burberry handbag casually slung over your shoulder, you aren’t thinking about who invented waterproof cloth or who designed the trench coat. Wasn’t that smock-like coat from the new spring collection remarkable? As Burberry enters it’s 150th year in the fashion industry, you should know the humble beginnings of those Burberry handbags you’ve come to know and love. Every Burberry handbag carries with it the story of one man’s idea. That man was Thomas Burberry and that’s where this story begins.
Thomas Burberry was born in Dorking Surrey, England in 1835. As a young man he trained as an apprentice to a drapery maker. Later, he owned his own shop, calling it T.Burberry and Sons. The young Burberry, barely in his 20’s, probably wasn’t thinking of making ladies handbags.
What he did have on his mind was a way to waterproof cloth. As the story goes, Burberry was talking to a local Shepherd. He’d noticed that the shepherd’s smock seemed to resist rain. The shepherd explained that it was probably due to sheep dipping, claiming that his smock probably absorbed some of the oils from the wool. Burberry developed a way to waterproof yarn before it was weaved. The cloth was then waterproofed again after it was woven. Burberry called this cloth Gabardine. He began a wholesale business of his special cloth in 1891, with a factory and later the Burberry store. Although the Burberry handbag was yet to grace the fashion scene, Thomas Burberry did well with selling gabardine clothing. His smock-like “walking Burberry” became a popular item.
