Is there any scarf more iconic than Burberry’s?

Since its creation in 1967, the Burberry scarf has transcended its status as an accessory to become a cultural icon. Its distinctive checkered design, now recognized as Burberry Check, born from a fortunate accident in a Paris store, has traveled a fascinating path that connects high fashion with the street. How did a simple scarf evolve into a symbol of the masses?

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The Burberry scarf was born as an extension of the pattern that was initially used as a lining for the brand’s classic trench coats. In 1900, Thomas Burberry began collaborating with Johnstons of Elgin, a Scottish mill founded in 1797 and renowned for its mastery of wool production. The scarf, woven on traditional looms, involves more than 30 steps including washing with spring water and brushing with dried thistles to achieve an ultra-soft finish.

Initially associated with the British upper class and the Sloane Rangers of the 1970s and 1980s, the scarf symbolized exclusivity and refinement. Elizabeth II herself has been a standard bearer of the symbol in question in British society. The check pattern was a status code that resonated with the elite, cementing Burberry as an emblem of traditional British fashion.

In the 1990s, a phenomenon marked the scarf’s transition into an accessible symbol: the chavs. These young working-class British men in precarious economic situations began to wear the Burberry pattern as a way to aspire to a higher status. They often paired it with sportswear and resorted to fakes due to economic constraints. Simultaneously, hooligans also incorporated the scarf and other Burberry elements. They wore “nice guy” clothing to avoid attracting attention while attending matches, earning the nickname Burberry Lads. To these, Gosha Rubchinskiy made a tribute for SS18, in a collection that brought the uniform of the gopnik(aka the Russian answer to the chav) to the English brand’s universe.

Through its adoption by urban subcultures, the Burberry pattern became a shared visual language among the working and upper classes. Even today, that aesthetic resonates among communities like the sportmafiaboys, who base their aesthetic on a mix of sportswear with garments, mostly accessories from luxury brands like Gucci, Louis Vuitton or Burberry, that matter little whether they are imitations or original products, because what counts is to belong to the aesthetic, to the movement.

The rise of hip-hop and grime in London in the 2000s also played a crucial role in this transformation. Artists like Skepta and Stormzy, as well as international rappers like Central Cee and Lil Wayne, Lil Uxi, Juicy World, have incorporated the scarf as part of their attire, giving it global visibility and calling their communities to, why not, acquire this accessory. And indeed, since its birth in 1970 until now, the scarf has gone through many different shape and color schemes, customization options etc, but it has always remained a reflection of cultural changes. Today, it remains a symbol of the masses, a nexus between old and young, posh and canis, and rich and poor.

This is how Burberry inaugurates the year of the snake.