Burberry is a classic, traditional fashion house founded by Thomas Burberry near London in 1856. The 21-year-old textiles trainee decided to start making and selling his own outdoor clothes. He invented the world-famous water-resistant fabric gabardine in 1888 and opened his first store in London’s fashionable Haymarket in 1891. Burberry created clothing for early explorers to the South Pole and Mount Everest. Gabardine and the traditional Burberry tartan check pattern are now company trademarks. They form part of a multi-billion-dollar company. It has branched out into perfumes, watches, sunglasses and accessories. It had some image problems in the 1980s and 1990s when it became popular with British football hooligans. However, rebranding in top fashion magazines has returned its luxury appeal.