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#ad The rise of the Burberry trench coat could be best described as a steady incline — one that hasn’t slowed since it was first introduced. While it’s not the first piece of fashion born out of functionality, it is one of the most famous. How did a simple beige coat, originally invented to help Brits stay warm and dry in perpetually damp weather, remain so popular that it became an icon only a couple of decades after its invention? And, after all this time, how has it maintained such an impeccable reputation? Former chief creative officer and CEO Christopher Bailey said it best: The trench is the chameleon of coats. The brand continues to produce new versions of its trench coat with contemporary twists that inherit and honor its heritage while also eclipsing it. But even as its outer shell has changed time and time again, the integrity of the coat as a versatile pillar in the fashion industry is unshakeable. But you can’t truly appreciate the sartorial behemoth without understanding its history. So much of the latter can be found and celebrated in the brand’s current silhouettes, such as the Long Gabardine Ellingham Car Coat, with its fit-and-flare design and archive-inspired details, or the Camden Heritage Car Coat which, in fact, predates the traditional trench style. But the only way to understand where the trench is going next is to see where it’s been. In honor of the brand’s 170th anniversary, we’re taking a trip down memory lane to relive the evolution of the Burberry trench coat — in all its iterations. Swipe through to discover the key moments in Burberry history that helped birth an icon.