Thomas Burberry developed gabardine in 1879 and patented it in 1888: yarn proofed before weaving, then woven tightly enough to shed rain while still letting the wearer breathe. Aquascutum's weatherproofing predates it, with founder John Emary patenting a water-repellent wool cloth in 1853. The name itself is Latin for water shield.
Both houses supplied officers' coats in the First World War, and both claim a share of the trench's origin story. Neither claim settles anything about a coat on the secondhand market today.
The two houses work from the same military template: double-breasted front, epaulettes, a gun flap at the shoulder, a back storm shield, belted cuffs and a waist belt. Details shift between decades and lines within each brand, so no single feature reliably separates a Burberry from an Aquascutum.
Judge the individual coat instead. Read the fabric composition label, check the buttons are original and matched, and look at wear on the collar edge, cuffs and belt holes, which is where a trench shows its age first.
The house check is the fastest identifier. Burberry's camel, black, red and white check lines most of its trenches, while Aquascutum used its own Club Check. Both are copied by counterfeiters, so the pattern alone is not proof of authenticity.
Many trenches from both houses were sold with a button-in wool liner for winter. Those liners are often separated from the coat over the years, so check whether a listing includes it before comparing prices.
Burberry has long made its heritage trenches in Castleford, Yorkshire, and "Made in England" is the label secondhand buyers look for. Not every Burberry trench carries it, and the country tag is worth checking against the price being asked.
Aquascutum's history is less settled. Japan's Renown bought it in 1990, it entered administration in 2012, and it has changed hands since. The label and country tag are therefore the most useful clues for dating a coat, and older England-made pieces are the ones worth seeking out.
Burberry has spent decades building global recognition, and the check has become one of the most recognised patterns in fashion. Aquascutum's repeated changes of ownership cost it visibility, and resale prices follow recognition more closely than they follow construction.
The result is that a well-kept England-made Aquascutum trench often sells for a fraction of a comparable Burberry. For a buyer who wants the coat rather than the name, that gap is the opportunity.
