Few pieces of clothing have made British weather look quite so good. Opening 21 September at the V&A South Kensington, The Burberry Trench: Crafting an Icon traces the coat from practical military outerwear to one of Britain’s most recognisable fashion exports.
The free display digs into the details behind that transformation. A 1930s womenswear catalogue sits alongside Hardy Amies’s personalised 1979 car coat, a pink metallic silk trench from 2013 and mirror embroidery from 2015. Even a purple baroque-print fringed version from Winter 2025 makes the cut.
It’s a compact lesson in how British heritage stays relevant: keep the craftsmanship, challenge the uniform and never underestimate the usefulness of a very good coat in London.
Discover the exhibition here.
