In which year was Burberry founded?

Burberry was founded in 1856. That year, 21-year-old Thomas Burberry opened an outfitting business in Basingstoke, Hampshire, England.

The company did not begin as the global luxury label it is today. Burberry first concentrated on practical outdoor clothing, building a reputation by developing garments suited to Britain’s rain, wind, and changing conditions. Its early identity was rooted in utility and fabric performance.

A major later milestone came in 1879, when Burberry introduced gabardine, a hard-wearing and water-resistant fabric. The company opened a London shop in Haymarket in 1891, helping it expand from a regional outfitter into a prominent British clothing business.

The year 1856 is sometimes confused with later dates connected to Burberry’s products: gabardine dates to 1879, its patent to 1888, and the trench coat’s military development to the early twentieth century. Those milestones belong to the company’s history, but the founding date is 1856.