Known for its outwear, a symbol of British luxury and a fan favourite in the terraces, but did you know the iconic Burberry scarf was discovered by mistake in Paris? 

Though the company was founded in 1856 by Thomas Burberry—at the time only 21—it wasn’t until he rolled out water resistant trench coats twenty years later that the brand became a household name. Originally an outerwear brand, Burberry made moves by reaching the Arctic Circle in an early expedition and becoming a signature part of WW1 uniform… those heroes were flexing.

It wasn’t until the 1960s, however, that the nova check became famous and it was actually a complete accident. 

The Burberry Paris store manager wanted to jazz up the shop window as it was a bit on the plain side, so she decided to add some panache by turning up the coat's hem, revealing the signature black, red and camel plaid--the "house check," as it's known.

Customers responded immediately, so the store began making umbrellas that featured the check pattern--and hundreds of them sold, too. Seeing a good thing in the making, Burberry decided to put its house check pattern on cashmere scarves. And the rest is fashion history.

Today, Burberry's signature plaid scarf is easily the most recognisable, coveted, timeless rectangle of Scottish cashmere that style-conscious consumers can wrap around their necks--and there are precious few 50-year-old fashion accessories about which that can be said.

The Burberry check is still synonymous with Burberry as a brand. Today, you can find this check plastered all over classic house-check scarves, as well as more modernised scarfs using the TB monogram, the paired back updated 2018 Burberry logo and even Burberrys digital release collection. 

 
A mistake well made in our eyes.

Head over to our Burberry collection to shop all the latest scarfs and other pieces that just hit the store.

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