Burberry is a British luxury fashion house, manufacturing clothing and other apparel. Its distinctive check pattern has become one of its most widely copied trademarks. The company has branded stores and franchises around the world, and also sells through concessions in third-party stores. It runs a catalogue business and has a fragrance line. HM Queen Elizabeth II and HRH The Prince of Wales have granted the company Royal Warrants. Burberry's trademark products are its fashionable handbags and exclusive fragrances. The Design Director is Christopher Bailey.

Burberry was founded in 1856 when 21-year-old Thomas Burberry 1835- 1926, a former draper's apprentice, opened his own store in BasingstokeHampshire, England. By 1870 the business had established itself by focusing on the development of outdoors attire. In 1880 Burberry invented gabardine, a hardwearing, water-resistant yet breathable fabric, in which the yarn is waterproofed before weaving. Gabardine was patented in 1888. Burberry was the original name, but then soon switched to Burberrys, after many customers from around the world began calling it Burberrys of London. This name is still visible on many older Burberry products.

In 1891 Burberry opened a shop in the Haymarket, London, which still exists and is the site of Burberry’s corporate headquarters. In 1904, the Burberry Equestrian Knight Logo was developed containing the Latin word "Prorsum", meaning forwards, and registered as a trademark. In 1911 they became the outfitters for Roald Amundsen, the first man to reach the South Pole, and Ernest Shackleton, who lead a 1914 expedition to cross .

In 1914 Burberry was commissioned by theWar Office to adapt its officer's coat to suit the conditions of contemporary warfare, resulting in the "trench coat". After the war, the trench coat became popular with civilians. The iconic Burberry check was created in the 1920s and used as a lining in its trench coats. It has been popularized by Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca citation needed and Peter Sellers in the Pink Panther films.
Burberry also specially designed aviation garments. A. E. Clouston and Mrs Betsy Kirby Green made the fastest flying time to Cape Town from London in 1937 and were sponsored by Burberry.

The trench, black, white and red pattern known as haymarket check or the "Burberry classic check" was first used as a lining for their trenchcoat in 1924. It was not until 1967 that the Burberry Check, now a registered trademark, was widely used on its own for items including scarves and luggage. The "Novacheck" was introduced for the younger market, later altered by making it more "exploded" (bigger) and slanted in a diamond or "mitre". Christopher Bailey made the debut of the "Housecheck" during the runway show of S/S 06? The Housecheck is a more "exploded" version of the Novacheck and its trademark is that, the material is always cotton/cloth like based compared to the Nova and Haymarket where it is Coated Canvas Based. So in a glance, the base price entry level for younger market is Nova (base level), then Haymarket Check for the older customers who like to stick to the traditional look, and then there's the Housecheck which is the most superior of Checks for the Fashion conscious.

During the 1970s, the brand became popular with the British football casual cult, leading to it to being associated with chavs, hooligans and members of football firms by the 1990s. The brand became something of a national joke, particularly when actress Danniella Westbrook was photographed with her young daughter wearing matching Burberry outfits. South Wales police ran a drive against anti-social behaviour under the name Operation Burberry, and Burberry admitted that "Burberry is now synonymous with Chavs and thugs.

With the entry of New Yorker Rose Marie Bravo as Chief Executive Officer in 1997, it was hoped the brand would be revitalised. She brought in Kate Moss to star in an advertising campaign, along with many new designs and products. However, the company still blamed weak Christmas 2004 sales in the UK on adverse media coverage.

In Autumn 2006, animal rights organisation PETA made Burberry the focus of an international campaign, which is ongoing as of July 2007, over the continued use of in their clothing. The campaign has involved catwalk protests at fashion shows, appearances in front of Burberry stores, and a dedicated website. PETA have also picketed the head offices in London