Burberry Handbags

Burberry founder, Thomas Burberry, is perhaps best known for inventing 'gaberdine' in 1879. Gaberdine is a breathable fabric made using pre-waterproofed yarn. Gaberdine fabric is both water resistant and extremely durable and was ideal for the manufacturing of outdoor wear for sportsman and soldiers who were Burberry's prime clientele in the late 1800's and early 1900's. In the 1920's, Burberry introduced its signature checked fabric; an instantly recognizable trademark to this day.

It wasn't until 1967 that Burberry began using gabardine to make umbrellas, luggage and scarves, which lead to the established retail stores in New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington, Michigan, New Jersey and California in the 1980s. The retail boom led Burberry to take their name brand design in a new direction. Today the Burberry name appears on classic and sophisticated women's, men's and children's clothing lines, eye glasses and footwear, luggage, handbags, watches, gloves, scarves, fragrances, outer wear and even home furnishings.

Today the signature Burberry plaid is seen on celebrities such as Martha Stewart, Prince William and Selma Blair in the form of Burberry handbags, Burberry scarves and Burberry bucket hats. While in Britain, football fanatics are as loyal to the Burberry brand as they are to their team and a wave of plaid Burberry shirts and hats are always evident in the stands.

Thanks to designer Rose Marie Bravo, who became CEO of Burberry in 1997, the Burberry raincoat became a worldwide fad and the plaid is now seen on shirts, bags, crusher hats, scarves and Burberry's checked eye-popping plaid bikini worn by supermodel Kate Moss.

Designer, Christopher Bailey joined Burberry in June 2001 and introduced Burberry's unforgettable line of python-skin, plaid trimmed, designer handbags under the Prorsum label, which are priced online from $525.