Recognising Genuine Burberry: An Authentication Guide
The Burberry tartan is one of the most counterfeited patterns in fashion. Trench coats, down jackets, scarves and caps circulate as copies at every price. Here is how to check a piece from the English house before you buy it.
At NB08, every piece is checked and authenticated in our boutique before it goes on sale. The decisive checks are set out below.
Why check the authenticity of a Burberry piece?
A two-hundred-year-old house, an iconic pattern and high resale value: the perfect trifecta for counterfeiters, from the tourist market to fake 'vintage' pieces.
The tartan: alignment above all
On a genuine piece, the Burberry check is perfectly aligned at the seams: the lines continue from one panel to the next, the crossings are symmetrical and the colours (camel, black, white, red) are true. A tartan that is misaligned at the seams or approximate in its shades is the number one sign of a copy.
Labels, buttons and markings
The woven labels (Burberry, Burberrys for vintage, Burberry London depending on the era) must match the supposed age of the piece, with the Prorsum knight typography or the modern lettering perfectly executed. Trench coat buttons (horn or resin) are cleanly engraved and the buckles solid. A label inconsistent with the era = a warning sign.
Materials and construction
Dense gabardine that feels dry to the touch on trench coats, lofty down on down jackets, taut linings, parallel seams. The weight and structure of a genuine Burberry piece do not lie.
Price and seller: the warning signs
'Cheap vintage Burberry' is a minefield: check the tartan at the seams and ask for photos of the labels before anything else.
Checklist: authenticating a Burberry piece in 7 points
- Tartan aligned and symmetrical at the seams
- True check colours
- Label consistent with the era of the piece
- Crisp typography and knight
- Engraved buttons, solid buckles
- Dense gabardine / lofty down
- Realistic price and clear provenance
Buy authenticated Burberry at NB08
All our Burberry pieces are checked and authenticated in our boutique before they go on sale.
