Today’s society loves trench coats. They are a timeless style that are worn by men and women all around the globe. We love that they are practicable, comfortable, and can go with pretty much anything!
The trench coat was originally designed for British and French soldiers in the First World War. Thomas Burberry, the founder of Burberry, submitted a design to the UK War Office for an officer’s raincoat in 1901. It success resulted in an alternate design of the officer’s raincoat for soldiers in the trenches. The name trench coat came from soldiers who wore them in the front line. The fabric of the coats were extremely absorbent and often weighed about 40 to 60 pounds because of the absorbed water and mud.
Burberry Newspaper Ad (1908)
The design of the original trench coat consisted of shoulder straps and D-rings. The shoulder straps were for attaching epaulettes and many people believe the D-rings were to hold hand grenades. In the Second World War, the trench coat caught on to other armies such as the one of United States, Russia, and Germany.

Germany, 1953
The trench coat has remained fashionable decades after the war. After the war, many veterans who returned home continued to wear their trench coats. Because they were originally a part of an army officer’s uniform, they were worn by many to obtain a businesslike respectability from others.