The Trench Coat's Enduring Legacy: From WWI to Modern Fashion

Today, the trench coat is an inarguable symbol of style. It has a place in just about every capsule wardrobe and is etched into our collective memories through being worn in some of pop culture's most iconic moments. From Audrey Hepburn (playing Holly Golightly) screaming in pouring rain for her cat in Breakfast at Tiffany's to Bella Hadid walking down the street in Los Angeles, trench coats feel ever-present. But this garment has a surprising history and was born because of war.

“I see them as a very 20th century phenomenon,” says Jane Tynan, a cultural historian at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam who focuses on fashion and culture. While researching for her 2022 book, Trench Coat, Tynan found that the public’s fascination with the trench coat was a result of its involvement in World War I. "It emerges from the trenches of the First World War, and it is developed to keep people dry mostly on the western front which is a cool and temperate climate,” she reveals.

Burberry’s Influence on Trench Coat Design

Before what we know now as the trench coat, however, there were "Macintoshes" or "macs." These coats were introduced by Scottish chemist Charles Macintosh in the 19th century, and they're at the foundation of how we have raincoats today. Macintosh introduced the idea of creating rubberized cotton for the British military. It wasn't foolproof, though, and its lack of breathability and issues with melting in the sun left room for improvement. When Thomas Burberry came around in 1856 with a new and patented fabric named "gabardine," it gave way to the trench coat we know today. The weaving process Burberry used involved "weaving yarns very closely together where each yarn is treated to create water repellency," Tynan explains. 

The trench coat's origin story is rooted in battle. It started as a very important garment, Tynan tells L'OFFICIEL. It was one that aimed to aid soldiers on front lines who were faced with many problems, such as trench foot because of the very muddy and wet climate. It's appropriately named a "trench" coat because of its connotations with the literal trenches of war.

The trench coat symbolized the war effort and bravery in the post-war Edwardian era before it became a symbol of leisure and practicality: Around 1914, the garment started popping up in advertisements as a practical and functional way to stay dry. 

"We also see in the 20th century the rise of leisure and leisure activities," says Tynan, "so keeping you dry in the outdoors becomes a very, very important function for clothing outerwear." People started taking up hobbies such as horse riding, golf, and other sports at home that would require protection from the moisture and wet climate of the United Kingdom. This made the trench coat even more appealing.

How Film and Pop Culture Popularized the Trench Coat

The trench coat, however, didn't take hold in America until the 1930s and 1940s, inspired by crime fiction novels like those of Raymond Chandler’s books. Movies played a role, too. “I think film and gangster films really popularized the trench coat in America,” says Tynan. "The trench coat seemed to represent something new and something different within American society.”

First used in crime fiction novels for detectives, “it was a symbol not only for the cover but also for the autonomy or the self-contained detective who kept his cool and was stoic, stylish and in control,” Tynan says. That idea of a trench coat representing a powerful figure carried on in films like as The Big Sleep and Casablanca. Today, it has come a long way from its centuries-old beginning.

From Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction to Queen Elizabeth's outfit at Balmoral Castle, the trench coat has become a staple of the closet and the fashion industry around the world. Burberry’s key fabric development boosted its desirability and functionality, making their trench coat one of the most famous garments worldwide. The timeless coat—with its deep pockets, the D-ring on its belt, and shoulder lapels—also provides designers an opportunity for endless creativity and reimagination. Shop trendy conceptions of a trench coats, classic cuts, and men's versions.