Burberry introduced its Equestrian Knight logo in 1901 after a public design competition.
The winning design showed an armored knight on horseback carrying a banner with the Latin word “Prorsum,” meaning “forward.” Thomas Burberry’s company selected the image through a competition held in the early twentieth century, and it became one of the brand’s most recognizable visual marks.
The knight motif reflected Burberry’s established association with exploration, outdoor clothing, and durable weatherproof garments. The company had already become known for gabardine, a tightly woven fabric patented by Burberry in 1888. The logo therefore connected the brand’s commercial identity with movement, travel, and practical performance.
People often confuse the Equestrian Knight with Burberry’s later TB monogram, which was introduced in 2018 under chief creative officer Riccardo Tisci. The knight is the older emblem and is separate from the Nova check, another Burberry identifier that developed during the twentieth century.