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What’s This About:

Burberry is expensive because its price pays for a British heritage house with its own Yorkshire factory and mill for trench coats, its gabardine and check, its shops and advertising, and a luxury premium, and only some of that goes into the garment.

This guide explains what a Burberry price covers and how to decide whether a Burberry trench coat or scarf is worth it to you, such as:

– Four criteria for judging any clothing brand

– A sourced history from the 1856 Basingstoke shop to the trench coat

– Where the Heritage trench is made and woven

– What gabardine does and does not do in the rain

– Three trench coat outfits for work, weekends and wet days

and many more!

Judge each Burberry garment by its fabric, construction, fit and price rather than by the check.

Key Points:

01Burberry makes its Heritage trench coats in Castleford and weaves its gabardine in Keighley, both in Yorkshire.

02Burberry and Aquascutum both claim the trench coat, and historians say it is unclear which came first.

03Not every Burberry garment is made in Britain, so read the label of the one you are considering.

04A well-kept second-hand Burberry trench can cost far less than a new one, but check it carefully before buying.

Burberry is expensive because its price covers a British heritage house with its own Yorkshire factory and mill for its trench coats, its signature gabardine and check, shops in expensive shopping streets, worldwide advertising, and the premium a luxury brand chooses to charge.

Some of that money goes into the coat you take home, and some goes into the name and the shop.

This guide explains each cost in plain terms, gives a short, sourced history of the house and its trench coat, and sets out how to decide whether a Burberry trench coat, scarf or jumper is worth it to you.

How We Judge Whether a Brand Is Worth Its Price

We use four criteria that apply to any clothing brand, so you can compare Burberry with a cheaper coat on the same terms.

Criterion	What to check	Burberry
Materials	Fibre content of the outer fabric, lining and trims.	Heritage trench coats use cotton gabardine; other ranges vary, so read each label.
Construction and origin	Where and how the garment is made.	Heritage trench coats are made in Burberry’s Yorkshire factory; other garments are made elsewhere, so check the label.
Fit and service	Cut, sizing and after-sales care.	Several trench coat cuts, plus reproofing, repair and resale services for trench coats.
Price and where it is sold	Where the price sits against similar garments, and whether pre-owned is an option.	High luxury prices; Burberry trench coats are widely sold pre-owned.

A high price is not proof of higher quality, so the name is only the starting point.

A Short History of Burberry

Thomas Burberry opened his first shop in Basingstoke, Hampshire, in 1856.

He developed gabardine, a tightly woven, water-resistant twill, which Burberry dates to 1879; sources differ on when it was patented, with the V&A giving 1879 and other histories giving 1888.

Burberry patented a belted coat called the Tielocken in 1912, and both Burberry and Aquascutum claim to have created the trench coat; Smithsonian Magazine notes that it is unclear which was first.

During the First World War, British officers bought their own coats from outfitters, and the belted, water-resistant coats worn in the trenches gave the trench coat its name.

The Burberry Check has been used since the 1920s, according to Burberry, first as a trench coat lining.

The company traded as Burberrys for much of the 20th century and changed its name to Burberry in the late 1990s.

For the full story of the coat and how to style it, see our trench coat guide for men.

What a Burberry Price Pays For

1. A Yorkshire factory and mill for the Heritage trench

Burberry makes its Heritage trench coats and car coats at its factory in Castleford, West Yorkshire, which it has run for more than 50 years, and weaves its gabardine and check cotton at its mill in Keighley, Yorkshire, the company said in September 2024.

Burberry says the curved collar alone takes more than 180 stitches and up to a year for a specialist to master.

Making coats in Britain with experienced machinists and tailors costs more per coat than mass production in lower-wage countries, and that cost is reflected in the price.

Not every Burberry garment is made in Britain, so check the label of the exact garment you are considering.

2. Gabardine

Gabardine is woven so closely that it sheds light rain while still letting air through.

Burberry said in 2024 that its Heritage trench gabardine is now made from 100% organically grown cotton.

Gabardine is shower-resistant rather than waterproof, so in heavy rain a coat will eventually wet through, and Burberry offers a reproofing service for its trench coats.

3. Fit choices and after-sales services

Burberry offers its Heritage trench in several cuts named after areas of London, including the classic-fit Kensington, the Chelsea, cut closer to the body, and the relaxed Waterloo, plus the Camden car coat.

The company also offers trench coat refresh, reproofing, repair, rental and resale services, which add to what you get for the price if you use them.

4. Shops, advertising and the brand name

Burberry sells through its own shops in expensive shopping streets, its website and selected department stores.

Rents, staff, runway shows, advertising and celebrity dressing are all paid for out of the price on the tag, and none of them change how long a coat lasts.

5. Luxury pricing

Luxury prices are set by the brand, not calculated upward from the cost of materials, and Burberry does not publish a breakdown of what its prices pay for.

Until 2018 Burberry destroyed some unsold goods rather than sell them cheaply; in September 2018 it said it would stop, after reporting that it had destroyed finished goods worth £28.6 million in the previous financial year (Retail Dive).

Since then the company has said it reuses, repairs, donates or recycles unsold products instead.

What Burberry Costs

Prices change often and differ by country, so check Burberry’s own website for the current price where you live.

As a dated example, Gentleman’s Gazette reported in October 2017 that a new Burberry Westminster heritage trench coat cost $1,895, while good vintage Burberry trench coats sold for about $100 to $400 depending on condition.

What the Price Does Not Tell You

A Burberry label does not guarantee that every garment is made in the same way or the same place, so the label inside matters more than the check on the outside.

Gentleman’s Gazette, reviewing a new heritage trench in 2017, praised the cotton gabardine and traditional details such as the throat latch and storm flap, but noted viscose sleeve linings and judged older coats better value.

A trench coat is not a financial investment: some sell well second-hand, but most worn coats sell for far less than their new price.

Scarves, knitwear and other check designs carry the same brand premium as the coats, so compare their fibre and finish with plain alternatives before you buy.

Burberry Compared With Similar Brands

For trench coats, Burberry’s closest comparisons are other British heritage makers, such as Aquascutum and Mackintosh, and good-quality trench coats from mid-priced brands.

Italian houses such as Loro Piana and Brunello Cucinelli sell outerwear at similar or higher prices, usually in wool, cashmere or technical fabrics rather than cotton gabardine.

For the same questions applied to other houses, see our guides to why Gucci and Hermès are expensive.

What to Check Before You Buy

Read the label for the outer fabric, lining and country of manufacture.

Try the coat on over the thickest layer you plan to wear under it, usually a suit jacket or a jumper.

The shoulders should sit at your natural shoulder line, and the sleeves should cover your shirt cuff.

For a classic trench, the hem usually falls around the knee, but a shorter or longer coat is a matter of the silhouette you prefer.

If you buy second-hand, remember that a label alone does not prove a coat is genuine: check stitching, lining and fabric, and buy from a seller who accepts returns.

A “Burberrys” label usually indicates a coat made before the late 1990s name change.

How to Wear a Burberry Trench Coat

A honey or stone trench coat works over tailoring and casual clothes.

Wear (office): a honey trench coat over a navy suit, a white shirt, a dark tie and brown leather Oxford shoes.

Wear (weekend): a stone trench coat, a grey crew-neck jumper, a white Oxford-cloth shirt, dark straight jeans and brown suede chukka boots.

Wear (cold, wet day): a dark navy trench coat with a button-in liner, a charcoal roll-neck jumper, grey flannel trousers, black leather boots and a check scarf as the only patterned accessory.

If you like the Burberry Check, wear it on one accessory, such as a scarf or the coat lining, and keep the rest of the outfit plain.

Is Burberry Worth It?

A Burberry Heritage trench coat is worth considering if you want a British-made cotton gabardine trench, a cut fits you well, and the price is affordable for you without stretching your budget.

It is harder to justify if you mainly want a good-looking rain coat, because well-made trench coats from other makers, or a well-kept older Burberry bought second-hand, can cost far less.

For other Burberry garments, judge each one by its fabric, construction, fit and price rather than by the check.

Common Questions About Burberry

Q. Where are Burberry trench coats made?

Burberry makes its Heritage trench coats in Castleford, West Yorkshire, and weaves the gabardine in Keighley, Yorkshire; other Burberry garments may be made elsewhere, so check the label.

Q. Did Burberry invent the trench coat?

Burberry and Aquascutum both claim to have created it, and historians say it is unclear which came first.

Q. Is a Burberry trench coat waterproof?

Gabardine is shower-resistant rather than fully waterproof, and Burberry offers reproofing for its trench coats.

Q. Does Burberry still burn unsold stock?

Burberry said in September 2018 that it would stop destroying unsold goods and would reuse, repair, donate or recycle them instead.

Styling Beyond Burberry

Knowing why a brand costs what it does is a useful start, but a coat works best when it suits your build, your colouring and the places you wear it.

If you are drawn to classic British dress, read our guides to Savile Row tailoring and British aristocracy style, and our guide to seasonal colour palettes.

Take our three free quizzes.

Personal Help From The VOU

Our styling services for men are paid consultations; the shop page lists what each one includes.

They include a fashion style analysis for men.

You can read about The VOU’s image consultants and stylists or about The VOU before you book.

Sources

–Burberry plc, Burberry launches Made in the UK series, 3 September 2024.

–Burberry, Heritage trench coat and Trench craft pages, read 7 October 2026.

–Smithsonian Magazine, Linda Rodriguez McRobbie, The classy rise of the trench coat, 2015.

–V&A, Trench coats: from real mud to nostalgia of mud, 22 May 2015.

–Retail Dive, Burberry to stop destroying unsold merchandise, 7 September 2018.

–Gentleman’s Gazette, Sven Raphael Schneider, Is it worth it? The Burberry trench coat, 27 October 2017.

Mandy Meyer

Mandy Meyer’s focus at The VOU is men’s body-shape styling, garment fit and outfit proportions. Her coverage addresses the practical questions behind a wardrobe choice: how a jacket sits across the shoulders, how trousers fall and how different cuts change the silhouette a wearer wants to create.

Her subject areas include the triangle, inverted triangle, rectangle, oval, trapezoid, hourglass and diamond labels used in body-shape styling. These provide starting references for comparing visible proportions; they do not capture every body or prescribe one correct way to dress. The focus connects those observations with garment shape, construction, length and the relationship between the upper and lower parts of an outfit.

Mandy’s editorial coverage combines visual comparisons with fit checks for comfort and movement. Readers can consider whether a cut gives them the room they need, where clothing pulls or gathers and which changes might support their preferred look. The aim is to make menswear choices more understandable while keeping personal preferences and the wearer’s own styling goals central.

Why Is Burberry So Expensive? What the Price Pays For