When Did Burberry's Iconic 'Check Pattern' Start Being Used? [Song Seung-yoon's Pa.Al.Bot]

Burberry Classic Check Originating from 'Tartan Check'
First Used as Raincoat Lining... Later Applied in Various Areas
Evolved into Rainbow Check, TB Monogram, and More
Famous Trademark Lawsuits... To Disappear from School Uniforms Starting Next Year

Burberry Classic Check Cashmere Scarf and Reversible Check Monogram Cashmere Scarf. Photo by Burberry website capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Song Seung-yoon] Beige tones intersected with black, red, and white check patterns. This is the first image that comes to mind when thinking of the luxury brand ‘Burberry.’ Products featuring Burberry’s iconic check pattern are so widely loved worldwide that almost everyone owns at least one.

Originally, Burberry’s check pattern was derived from the traditional Scottish design called ‘Tartan check.’ This pattern, made by crossing various colors like a checkerboard, was used in Scotland at the time as an emblem representing clans and social classes. Burberry drew inspiration from this and first used the pattern as a lining for raincoats in the 1920s, later developing it into a full-fledged brand signature by the 1960s.

In 1967, Burberry began using the check pattern on various products beyond raincoats. At that time, Jacqueline Dilemmang, who was in charge of the Burberry Paris store, prepared a clothing presentation for Sir Patrick Riley, the British ambassador. She decorated the exterior of travel bags using the check lining of coats and made umbrella covers. This marked the beginning of the Burberry check evolving into various forms over several decades. Especially, the cashmere check scarf introduced in the 1970s gained huge popularity worldwide and remains one of the brand’s most beloved accessories to this day.

Kids product featuring a design that combines Burberry Classic Check and TB Monogram. Photo by Burberry website capture.

Recently, Burberry’s check pattern has been utilized in various forms. In 2018, they introduced a rainbow check to show support for the LGBTQ+ community, and experimented with mixing graffiti-style phrases and various illustrations with the check pattern design. The ‘TB Monogram,’ named after the initials of Burberry’s founder Thomas Burberry, has also gained great popularity. First unveiled in August 2018, the TB Monogram was designed by Chief Creative Officer Riccardo Tisci and British art director and graphic designer Peter Saville.

There have also been notable incidents related to the check pattern. As the design became synonymous with the check pattern, Burberry clashed with companies using similar check patterns on their products. Since 2011, Burberry has filed trademark lawsuits against fashion companies in South Korea. A representative case was the legal dispute in 2013 with LG Fashion (now LF) over the Daks brand. Burberry sued LG Fashion to prohibit the manufacture and sale of products using Burberry’s check pattern and demanded 50 million KRW in damages. The court ruled that LG Fashion pay Burberry 30 million KRW in damages and that Burberry drop other claims such as the manufacturing and sales ban through a compulsory settlement, which both parties accepted, concluding the case. The following year, Burberry filed a similar lawsuit against Ssangbangwool.

Recently, the Burberry check pattern dispute even spread to the school uniform industry. Since 2019, Burberry has raised trademark infringement issues against domestic school uniform manufacturers that adopted designs similar to the Burberry check pattern. The Korea School Uniform Industry Association negotiated with Burberry’s Korean representative and agreed to use the existing design only until this year. From next year onward, the design cannot be used. In response, local education offices hurriedly identified schools potentially infringing on the trademark and instructed them to change their designs. It is reported that about 260 schools nationwide currently need to change their school uniform designs.