Content producer: Hayden Ng.
Think of Burberry and a few things come to mind. It’s a leading British fashion brand; its designs are always tasteful and timeless; and of course, trench coats. Speaking of trench coats, they’ve become one of the most recognised signatures at the house of Burberry.
It all started when its founder, the late Thomas Burberry launched the luxury label Burberry in 1856. Back then, the brand was most famously known for its special material called gabardine, invented by Burberry.
Wearers fell in love with gabardine because they found that the fabric felt breathable and it repelled water better than other rainwear. Hence, gabardine coats soon became one of the most sought after pieces for Burberry shoppers.
Then in 1912, the same material was used to make the now iconic Burberry trench coats, complete with a belt at the waist to fasten the outerwear. During this time, the Burberry trench coats were widely used in the military and aviation because of how weather resistant it was. It was said to shield its wearers against wind, snow and rain.
Fast forward to today, we’re still seeing reinterpretations of this iconic wardrobe staple on the Burberry runways—thanks to Burberry’s Chief Creative and Chief Executive Officer Christopher Bailey.
For example, Burberry’s latest February 2017 fashion show saw the introduction of a new version of the gabardine trench coat (psst, it’s very appropriate for Singapore’s weather).
Called the tropical gabardine—though we’d gladly call it gabardine 2.0 because it sounds more #fancy—it is the extra lightweight version of the original gabardine without losing its weatherproof properties. Plus, the new tropical gabardine trench coats sport an iridescent finish that’s made possible by weaving contrasting yarns together at the Burberry mill in Yorkshire, England.
Here in Singapore, Burberry has just launched the ‘Tales of a Trenchcoat’ exhibition at its ION Orchard boutique to pay tribute to this famous creation.
And to mark its opening, Burberry threw a cocktail party for invited guests including Yoyo Cao, Tabitha Nauser, Narelle Kheng and more (see photos below) last night.
Click play on the video above to have a quick look at what’s installed at this exhibition. You’ll get to admire amazing trench coats from past and present collections, as well as learn more about the creation of each trench coat.
There’s even a photo booth for you and your friends to take selfies at, so be sure to turn up camera-ready!
Burberry’s ‘Tales of a Trench Coat’ exhibition runs from now to April 23, 2017 at #01-06 ION Orchard.
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