Burberry and V&A stage trench-coat display for brand's 170th anniversary

British luxury brand Burberry and the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) have announced a display dedicated to the Burberry trench coat, marking the brand's 170th anniversary, according to a press release. Titled 'The Burberry Trench: Crafting an Icon', the free display runs at V&A South Kensington in London from 21 September 2026 to 3 January 2027.

Held in the museum's Prince Consort Gallery, the display brings together rare material from the Burberry Archive and the V&A collection, tracing the trench from its origins as practical and military outerwear to a fashion staple.

It is structured in three parts. 'Invention' looks at Thomas Burberry's development of cotton gabardine in 1879 and its use in the trench. 'Craft' focuses on the coat's construction, including the hand-finished collar, the House Check lining, the storm flap and detachable throat latch. 'Creativity' presents 19 runway looks from the past two and a half decades, including designs by chief creative officers Daniel Lee and Christopher Bailey.

According to Burberry, a number of objects from its archive will be shown publicly for the first time, from early-20th-century catalogues to a Burberry trench coat worn by the designer Hardy Amies. Carly Eck, brand curator at Burberry, said the display celebrates 'the enduring legacy of the Burberry trench coat'. Oriole Cullen, senior curator of fashion and textiles at the V&A, described the trench as 'a British fashion staple that has stood the test of time'.

The display opens ahead of The Burberry Gallery, a redesign of the V&A's fashion galleries at V&A South Kensington supported by Burberry as part of a multi-year partnership, due to open in autumn 2028.