It is often said that, 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' but Burberry is giving its customers the chance to challenge the brand into designing their own iconic trench from early next year.
The exciting online bespoke service will give customers the chance to choose from a gargantuan selection of 12 million options. This will include buttons, lapel styles, belting, studding, epaulets, fabric and colour with every style - runway and mainline - being included in the service. Some of the most iconic styles will be chopped and changed but will it destroy the image, and perhaps the reputation, of the trench? Christopher Bailey's consistent touch of success to the brand may reassure die-hard customers but what ever the outcome, it will be a wise investment for everyone involved, mostly for the customer.
Whilst bespoke services are not new, most notably provided by Savile Row and Jermyn Street tailors for shirts and suits, being online marks a new era for what is essentially couture. However Burberry is no stranger to online and social media platforms, having crossed the threshold on their Facebook page with 2 million fans. But it is the iconic trench that captured the imagination of the world, as their dedicated site, 'The Art of the Trench', where users could 'like' and 'comment' on shots taken by The Sartorialist Scott Schuman, was a world-wide hit. Teaming up with Facebook for the Autumn 2009 project paved the way for other designers to fully engage their social media using clients and fans, and advertising their streaming fashion shows showed others that they are a brand that captures the hearts, imagination and wallets of the fashion pack and its hangers on.
Words by Dan Hasby Oliver
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