Thomas Burberry was born in 1835 and established his first drapery shop in 1856. Burberry was an avid outdoorsman and was unhappy with the rubberized mackintosh raincoat. He felt like the fabric made it restrictive and stifling in the heat. With this in mind Burberry set out to design his own raincoat which would allow for air to circulate. He created his own trademark cloth, ?Gabardine?, a Shakespearean term that referred to shelter from inclement weather. This allowed Burberry to launch a new brand of outer wear, one which was water resistant and comfortable to wear. The coat became an instant success and was soon requested by name by Britain's King Edward. The Burberry gabardine coat was being worn by Winston Churchill, Gary Cooper, Joan Crawford and George Bush.
Burberry continued to be successful and went on to design hats, jackets, fashion accessories and fragrances. The first perfumes launched by Burberry were Burberry for women and Burberry for men in 1995. The Burberry for women contains a blend of bergamont and juniper. Following this came the launch of Burberry Weekend in 1997. Weekend was meant to be worn on a casual day spent outside playing golf. Burberry Touch perfume was launched next in 2000. Touch was another classic Burberry perfume which contains a blend of citrus and oakmoss. All the Burberry fragrances are enclosed in neatly designed boxes with the trademark check pattern. Burberry continues to be a sign of class and style among fashion and outerwear.