Since 1856, Burberry has been serving the clothing needs of British and then global big spenders. At the start of the 21st century, the company’s signature plaid is readily identifiable and highly regarded as a symbol of the brand's, and indeed British, craftsmanship.

Burberry has remade its London flagship — which has housed a radio station and a livery stable, among other things, over the last 200 years — into a 44,000 square foot, digitally-enhanced retail experience chock full of tech innovations, while maintaining the bespoke elegance for which the brand is known.Continue reading...

Above, Burberry CEO Angela Ahrendts discusses Burberry World, the luxury brand's relaunched website-as-social network that went live last year (powered by Salesforce) to engage its customers and serve as an interactive platform from which to live-stream its fashion collections and bring the brand's heritage to life.Continue reading...

At the 2012 Retail's BIG Show, the U.S. National Retail Federation's annual conference, Burberry was honored as International Retailer of the Year. This award is given annually to an individual who has achieved international recognition for excellence in their native country and internationally.

Above, Burberry CEO Angela Ahrendts accepts the award for a 150-year old brand — one of Interbrand's Best Global Brands and Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies — that operates in 80 countries and keeps exceeding customer expectations.

Burberry today opens its flagship store in China, with a high-tech debut in keeping with the brand's digital DNA. In addition to live-streaming the opening on Burberry.com (watch the replay here), the Beijing store boasts in-store iPads, virtual touchscreens and more.Continue reading...

Photographer/blogger The Sartorialist (real name: Scott Schuman) may have tried to keep the project secret (well, FT -- and we -- reported this in September). But Burberry's “Art of the Trench” has finally launched, leaving other fashion-related social networking sites shaking in their well-made boots.

Aptly named, CEO Angela Ahrendts explained that the website focuses on the brand's signature coats, initially offering a library of photos of different people in coats.

“It’s our differentiator,” Ms. Ahrendts said. “It’s not so different from what competitors do. Maybe one was born from shoes and another from luggage; we come from a coat. It’s our job to keep that category hot and cool and relevant for all ages.”

Interested parties may sign up to leave comments about ones you like or dislike. People can be searched by gender, style, coat color, and, even more useful, you can sort the pictures by weather, to view the trenches in their natural habitat.Continue reading...