Burberry celebrates 170 of its most iconic garment
Sydney's fashion set were, literally, in the trenches
By 
ON THURSDAY NIGHT, British house Burberry transformed its George Street flagship store in Sydney into an interactive exhibition to celebrate a major milestone for one of its most enduring icons: 170 years of the Burberry trench. The store, already one of the brand’s most prominent local outposts, was reconfigured into a kind of living archive, where past and present iterations of the coat were positioned less as product and more as evidence of continuity.
Guests moved through displays that traced the trench’s evolution, from its origins in Thomas Burberry’s gabardine innovation through to current-season adaptations. Developed in 1879, gabardine remains central to the coat’s identity, a tightly woven cotton that resists weather without sacrificing movement. It is a technical solution that has endured, and one that still underpins many versions of the trench produced today.
The event drew in a cross-section of the country’s fashion and entertainment industries: supermodel Gemma Ward, actors Bryn Chapman-Parish and Lincoln Younes, Benjamin Turland Madeleine Madden and Marlo Kelly – all in various versions of the trench-of-honour – were among those in attendance.
Guests were greeted with cocktails in which floated Burberry-branded ice. And of course, champagne. If there is a natural pairing for Burberry’s House Check, it may well be a coupe of something cold and French. The print, originally used as a lining, has long since taken on a more public role. On this night, it returned to something closer to its original role, glimpsed beneath lapels or at the turn of a cuff.
Music for the evening came courtesy of Eve Special, whose set kept the tempo steady without overpowering the room. There was also, very appropriately, a self-portrait installation where guests could reenact their take on the brand’s latest global campaign, The Trench: Portraits of an Icon. The monochrome setup mirrored the imagery shot by Tim Walker, inviting guests to position themselves, briefly, within the same visual language.
That campaign, released to coincide with the anniversary, brings together figures from film, music and fashion, each wearing the trench in their own way. It reinforces what Burberry has long understood: the coat’s appeal lies in its adaptability. It is neither fixed nor particularly prescriptive. A collar can be turned up or left flat, a belt tied tightly or left loose. The variations are small, but they accumulate into something recognisable.
The Heritage Collection, which formed the backbone of the in-store display, continues to be manufactured in Castleford, England, where Burberry has produced rainwear for more than 50 years. Styles such as the Kensington, Waterloo and Chelsea remain largely unchanged in structure, though updated fabrics and cuts have been introduced alongside them.
What the evening made clear was that the trench has never required reinvention to remain relevant. It remains the perfect example of how luxury is embedded within the functional. Rather, it has become a canvas for artists like current creative director Daniel Lee to investigate the culture via tailored adjustments, keeping it aligned with today’s wearer.
Related:
Burberry’s spring 2026 RTW collection reminds us why British style is quintessential
Breitling just quietly launched the most luxurious Navitimer watch yet
Bite-sized style news to know what’s happening in menswear this March
