Fashion

‘The Tale of Thomas Burberry’: A cinematic homage to the brand’s 160th anniversary

Reimagining history

03.11.2016

By Buro247

‘The Tale of Thomas Burberry’: A cinematic homage to the brand’s 160th anniversary

Brace yourselves for an onslaught of the feels—Burberry’s new three-minute cinematic trailer inspired by key events that happened in founder Thomas Burberry’s life will make you wish there was a full-length movie debuting for the holiday season. This new festive campaign is premiered in conjunction with the brand’s 160th anniversary that falls on Christmas Day. Directed by multi-award-winning British filmmaker Asif Kapadia and written by Matt Charman, it depicts real life moments that shaped the company’s history and values, which has cemented its foundation as one of the world’s top luxury brands with a deep-rooted heritage of craftsmanship and design.


“This Christmas, as we celebrate our 160th anniversary we wanted to tell the story of Thomas Burberry—pioneer, inventor, innovator, and the man behind the iconic trench coat—in our own words,” says Christopher Bailey, Burberry CEO and Creative Director. The film we have made is a brief glimpse inspired by his full and extraordinary life, which threaded its way through the history of the twentieth century in all its tumultuous highs and lows.” 

The star-studded cast include Domhnall Gleeson as Thomas Burberry, Sienna Miller as his fictional first love, Sara, Dominic West as Sir Ernest Shackleton, the pioneering polar explorer who chose to wear Burberry gabardine for his expeditions, and Lily James as the fictional pilot Betty Dawson, inspired by world record-breaking pilot Betty Kirby-Green. The Shirburn Castle in Oxfordshire served as the film location for a few scenes of the trailer. And if you’d like a spoiler on what to expect from this cinematic debut, notable scenes that were also real moments not to miss out on include Burberry’s invention of the weatherproof material gabardine and his achievements that were outfitting the military, polar explorers, and pilots. Fun fact: The cast is actually dressed in a variety of custom Burberry pieces, including replicas from the Burberry Heritage Archive and designs from the latest collection such as the Heritage Trench Coat and Bridle Bag.

 

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