BURBERRY'S HISTORY
Burberry is a British luxury fashion house, manufacturing clothing and other apparel. Its distinctive check pattern has become one of its most widely copied trademarks. The company has branded stores and franchises around the world, and also sells through concessions in third party stores. It also runs a catalogue business and has a fragrance line. Both HM Queen Elizabeth and HRH The Prince of Wales have granted the company Royal Warrants. Today, Burberry's trademark products are its fashionable handbags and exclusive fragrances. The current Design Director is Christopher Bailey.
Early years
Burberry was founded in 1856 when 21-year-old Thomas Burberry, a former draper's apprentice, opened his own store in Basingstoke, Hampshire, England. By 1870 the business had established itself by focusing on the development of outdoors attire. In 1880 Thomas Burberry invented gabardine, a hardwearing, water-resistant, yet breathable fabric, in which the yarn is waterproofed before weaving. Gabardine was patented in 1888.
In 1891 Thomas Burberry opened an emporium in the Haymarket, London, which still stands today and is the site of Burberry’s corporate headquarters. In 1904, the Burberry Equestrian Knight Logo was developed containing the Latin word "Prorsum" meaning forwards and registered as a trademark. In 1911 they also became the outfitters for Roald Amundsen, the first man to reach the South Pole, and Ernest Shackleton, who lead a 1914 expedition to cross Antarctica.
In 1914 Burberry was commissioned by the War Office to adapt its officer's coat, to suit the conditions of British contemporary warfare, resulting in the modern day "trench coat". After the war, the trench coat became popular with civilians. The iconic Burberry check was created in the 1920's and used as a lining in its trench coats. Over the years, it has been popularized by Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca, Peter Sellers in the Pink Panther films, and Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's.
Burberry also specially designed aviation garments. A. E. Clouston and Mrs Betsy Kirby Green made the fastest flying time to Cape Town from London in 1937 and were sponsored by Burberry.
The Burberry Check
The trench, black, white and red pattern known as novacheck or the 'Burberry check' was first used as a lining for their trenchcoat in 1924. It wasn't until as late as 1967 that the Burberry Check, now a registered trademark, was widely used on its own for items including umbrellas, scarves and luggage.
UK image problems and revitalization
During the 1970s, the brand became popular with the British football casual cult, leading to it to being associated with chavs, hooligans and members of football firms by the 1990s. The brand became something of a national joke, particularly when actress Danniella Westbrook was photographed with her young daughter wearing matching Burberry outfits. South Wales police ran a drive against anti-social behaviour under the name Operation Burberry and Burberry admitted that "Burberry is now synonymous with Chavs and thugs."
With the entry of a New Yorker, Rose Marie Bravo, as Chief Executive Officer in 1997, it was hoped the brand would be revitalised. She brought in Kate Moss to star in an advertising campaign, along with many new designs and products. However, the company still blamed weak Christmas 2004 sales in the UK on adverse media coverage.
Closure of Treorchy factory
In September 2006 Burberry announced the closure in March 2007 of their factory in Treorchy, South Wales, moving 310 jobs to Hong Kong and mainland China. The firm states that the Treorchy plant is "not commercially viable" despite announcing a 22% increase in profits in January 2007. The extremely unpopular decision has resulted in protests by workers outside the Burberry flagship stores in London, under the banner "Keep Burberry British". The campaign, supported by local Welsh Assembly Member Leighton Andrews and Jill Evans MEP has attracted international press coverage and is supported by celebrities from the world of cinema, music and sport including: Prince Charles , Tom Jones , Sir Alex Ferguson , Ioan Gruffudd (the international face of Burberry), Emma Thompson, Rhys Ifans, Bryn Terfel, The Automatic, Tanni Grey-Thompson, Irvine Welsh, Michael Sheen, Steve Jones and William Saville. The PR disaster reached a new stage when local MP Chris Bryant made a motion on 23 January 2007 in Parliament to remove Burberry's Royal Warrant if it persists in its intention to move these jobs offshore. The debate lasted 23 minutes.
The campaign has gone global with co-ordinated protests against the closure, were held in London, Paris, New York, Chicago, Strasbourg and Las Vegas.
HOW TO SPOT A FAKE!
The Fabric
The fabric used to manufacture top-of-the-line brand name handbags is noticeably different than the material used for fakes. If there is wrong stitching or if the material is flawed in even the slightest manner, chances are it is not a name brand purse. High-fashion handbags will always have real materials, they will not use fake leather or fake animal skin and you will get the real deal 100 percent of the time.
Small Detailing
The great thing about authentic handbags is that they are unique and hours upon hours go into making each one exactly right. Designer handbags will often have extra stitching and detailing such as little diamonds, buckles or zippers which make them truly unique to any other designer. As noted above, the diamonds on name brand handbags will also be real 100 percent of the time.
Study the Celebrities
The best way to determine whether or not a handbag is a fake is by studying the real ones and the best way to do that is through celebrities. Celebrities will always have real name brand designer handbags. Most people recognize the design of Burberry purses because of Kate Moss and the hype she has created for the company. When you constantly see celebrities sporting specific types of handbags you will be more inclined in noticing the difference between real and fake ones.
Brand Name Labels
Many brand name handbag designers will put a custom label or logo on their items which indicate that they are authentic. The names sometimes appear on zippers or pockets and some companies like to put it in the same spot on every handbag to ensure their customers know it’s real.
It is important to know that you are getting what you pay for when it comes to designer handbags. If you’re instincts are telling you that the purse is a fake, chances are you’re probably right and its best to leave the bag where it lies. With the amount of money you are spending on these items, you want to make sure the bag you’re buying is authentic and worth every penny you are spending.
UK study says fake brands popular with wealthy; Burberry fakes have top appeal for rich and low-income consumers
Counterfeit goods are popular with wealthy British consumers, according to research that debunks the popular belief that fakes are purchased by low-income shoppers.
Research published on Wednesday by Davenport Lyons, a law firm that represents many household name brands, has found that people who buy counterfeit clothes, watches, shoes or jewellery are often well-off spenders who are also more likely to purchase genuine brand-name luxury items.
Simon Tracey, head of intellectual property at Davenport Lyons, in remarks on the findings, said the research proved fakes were doing even more damage to luxury brands than most in the industry had realised. "The extent of the problem is far worse than anyone thought it was here."
The results are based on a project involving over 1,000 consumers by specialist luxury brand research firm Ledbury Research. It highlights purchasing drivers and attitudes of consumers to counterfeit and look-alike goods and assesses the real impact on brands such as Burberry.
