Burberry is celebrating 170 years in business with a new display at the V&A South Kensington that will open in September, focusing on its most enduring design: the trench coat.
The Burberry Trench: Crafting an Icon will be a free exhibition smaller in scale than the museum’s famous fashion blockbusters – such as the smash hit Schiaparelli retrospective that’s on now and closes in November – that will open in the museum’s Prince Consort Gallery. The seldom-seen space, a 35-metre-long mahogany-panelled room, is so named for the mosaic portrait of Prince Albert on its far wall and once held pieces from the museum’s textile archive.
Bringing together rare artefacts from the Burberry Archive and the V&A collection, the display will trace the history of the Burberry trench from its origins as practical outerwear and military attire to one of fashion’s most recognisable garments.
“We are delighted to work with the Burberry Archive to showcase the history of the celebrated trench coat: a British fashion staple that has stood the test of time and continues to evolve over a century on,” said Oriole Cullen, senior curator, fashion and textiles at the V&A, in a statement.
Thomas Burberry invented cotton gabardine in 1879, a waterproof fabric that was, unlike existing waterproof fabrics made from oil, rubber and wax, and revolutionary for being entirely breathable. Using this fabric to make early trench coats, which were first adopted by the British military in WW1, Burberry changed the rain-proof outerwear game forever. The exhibition highlights the evolution of the trench coat from these straightforward protective items through to a design classic synonymous with Britishness that’s remained a relevant wardrobe staple for more than a century.
The display concludes with 19 standout Burberry runway looks from the past two and a half decades, including designs by current chief creative officer Daniel Lee and his predecessor Christopher Bailey.
“As we mark 170 years of the house, we are thrilled to partner with the V&A to celebrate the enduring legacy of the Burberry trench coat – a global design icon rooted in British craftsmanship and a symbol of innovation, creativity and timeless style,” said Carly Eck, Burberry’s brand curator. It’s the first time that many objects from Burberry’s archive will be publicly exhibited, including the early 20th-century catalogues and a Burberry trench coat worn by fashion designer Hardy Amies.
The exhibition forms part of a wider multi-year partnership between the two bastions of British culture which will see Burberry support the renovation and redesign of the museum’s Fashion Gallery, which closed for renovations in April for the first time since the 1960s and will reopen in autumn 2028.
‘The Burberry Trench: Crafting an Icon’ will be on display at V&A South Kensington from September 21, 2026 to January 3, 2027 and is free to enter.
