Burberry Trench V&A: The London Exhibition

The Burberry Trench V&A display at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London traces the garment from practical outerwear and military attire to its later role in fashion. Opened on 21 September 2026, the free display runs until 3 January 2027 in the Prince Consort Gallery at V&A South Kensington.

The exhibition is built around the trench itself: how its function, construction and materials have changed as designers have reinterpreted the garment. The V&A highlights pieces ranging from a womenswear catalogue featuring trench coats dating to around 1937–44 to a mirror-embroidered men's trench from Autumn/Winter 2015 and a pink metallic silk version from Spring/Summer 2013.

One particularly personal object is a 1979 Burberry car coat designed for British fashion designer Hardy Amies, identified through its personalised label. The display also includes a purple baroque-print fringed trench from Winter 2025, showing how the original functional vocabulary continues to be altered through colour, surface and proportion.

That range explains the garment's longevity more effectively than the word “iconic”. Its underlying format is recognisable, but the examples demonstrate how fabric, decoration and silhouette can change while retaining the practical identity of a trench coat.

The display can be visited free of charge, with no booking required. V&A South Kensington is at Cromwell Road, London SW7 2RL. The museum is open daily from 10.00 to 17.45, with later opening until 22.00 on Fridays.