The History of Burberry and the Trench CoatBurberry's story begins in 1856, when Thomas Burberry opened a small outfitters shop in Basingstoke. Few fashion houses have built an entire identity around a single piece of clothing, but the trench coat has remained Burberry's defining product for well over a century. Visitors can expect items that have never left Burberry's private archive, among them early twentieth century catalogues and a personal trench coat once worn by British designer Hardy Amies. Burberry and the V&A are partway through a multi year partnership that will eventually transform the museum's long standing Fashion Gallery into a new space named The Burberry Gallery. That larger renovation, originally expected in spring 2027, has since shifted to autumn 2028, making this trench coat display something of a preview of the collaboration to come.