Burberry and V&A to stage display celebrating the history of the trench coat

Burberry and the V&A are set to stage a free display tracing the development of the Burberry trench coat, marking the iconic British brand’s 170th anniversary.

The Burberry Trench: Crafting an Icon will run from 21 September 2026 to 3 January 2027 at V&A South Kensington; its opening coincides with the staging of Burberry's catwalk show at September's London Fashion Week. It will bring together rare objects from the Burberry Archive and the museum’s collection, including material being publicly exhibited for the first time.

The display will occupy the Prince Consort Gallery, a seldom-seen space that once housed textiles in mahogany cabinets. It will follow the trench coat’s progression from protective outerwear and military clothing into one of Burberry’s central products and an internationally recognised fashion design.

A men's metallic silk trench from 2013 by Christopher Bailey (Courtesy: Burberry)

From cotton gabardine to a design classic

The opening section, Invention, will focus on Thomas Burberry’s creation of cotton gabardine in 1879. Its use gave the company’s outerwear protection from the weather while retaining a lightweight and practical construction.

The exhibition will examine how this material helped establish the trench as a sought-after coat before its adoption as a fashion staple. Burberry was founded by Thomas Burberry in 1856 and continues to use gabardine across its Heritage Trench range.

A Burberry design from c. 1937-1944 pictured in a catalogue (Courtesy: Burberry)

Craft will examine the practical details that have shaped the coat for more than a century. These include its hand-finished collar and House Check lining, as well as the storm flap and detachable throat latch, which provide additional protection.

Burberry says its trench collar is assembled from eight parts and can require up to 200 stitches. The company first used its check to line rainwear during the 1920s.

Archive pieces meet recent runway designs

The final section, Creativity, will present 19 runway looks produced over the past 25 years. The selection will include designs by current Chief Creative Officer Daniel Lee and former Chief Creative Officer Christopher Bailey, showing how successive collections have revised the trench’s proportions, construction and styling.

Hardy Amies' personalised Burberry car coat from 1979 (Courtesy: Burberry)

Early 20th-century catalogues and a Burberry trench coat worn by British fashion designer Hardy Amies will also feature.

Carly Eck, brand curator at Burberr, said: “A myriad of objects from the brand’s Archive will be publicly exhibited for the first time – from early 20th-century catalogues to a Burberry trench coat worn by fashion designer Hardy Amies.”

Oriole Cullen, senior curator of fashion and textiles at the V&A, said the display would highlight how the British fashion staple “continues to evolve over a century on”.

Fringed women's trench from AW25 by Daniel Lee (Courtesy: Burberry)

The Burberry Gallery follows in 2028

The display forms part of Burberry’s multi-year partnership with the V&A, which will lead to the opening of The Burberry Gallery in autumn 2028.

The project will transform the museum’s existing Fashion Gallery into a redesigned space for its collection, which spans five centuries. The Burberry Trench: Crafting an Icon will remain free and open to all throughout its run.