That is a far cry from the intrepid spirit of the original Burberry wearers. In the glory days of the British colonial empire, they set off on flying expeditions, military campaigns, big game safaris in Africa and through the monsoons of India, confident that a Burberry would keep them and their powder dry. Protection, Bravo said, is still the essence of the brand, and outerwear is its core product. Yet this has to mean more than the raincoats - especially since Burberry's competitors have accessible key items, from Louis Vuitton's purses to Hermes headsquares and Gucci belts. Accessories are a projected growth area and so is sportswear.
Functional clothing is a universal look.
His background at Jil Sander menswear makes him interested in modern fabric research. She explained how traditional silhouettes have been re-proportioned, and how the accessories, from quilted reversible purses through generous plaid throws, have been developed. Neither sees Burberry, as the British would, as entrenched in an old class structure of codes and symbols, which was rejected, along with the beige trench and the check scarf, in the social revolution of the 1960s. That is when, and why, the label went out of fashion with a new generation unwilling to genuflect to the gentry and to an antiquated aristocratic system that Burberry seemed to represent. Ironically, it is just that class status which still appeals to foreigners.