Burberry finally shakes off its 'chav check' reputation (2024)

Its spent years in the fashion wilderness after being adopted by a distinctly downmarket crowd, but it seems that Burberry's iconic check pattern is making a comeback.

Back in 2002, the design had been dubbed 'chav check' after it was embraced by far from A-list stars like actress Danniella Westbrook who famously wore it head-to-toe on an outing with her Buberry-clad daughter, complete with a checked pushchair.

But at Copenhagen Fashion Week this month, it was the print of choice for street style stars and fashion editors - ever the barometer of trends.

And celebrities have been embracing the look too with fashionistas such as Gigi Hadid and Vanessa Hudgens stepping out in Burberry coats in recent months.

Milda Chellingsworth, personal stylist & founder of stylingforyou.co said the brand has been clever to align itself with aspirational and youthful influencers, such as Cara Delevingne, Suki Waterhouse and even Romeo Beckham.

'Burberry is very good at leading the way and seeking alternative avenues to engage a younger fashion forward audience,' she explained.

'Using young iconic influencers has helped them to engage with this audience which they need to do should they want to keep up to date with the millennials and not just be a brand worn by the older generation.

There's also a buzz around the brand as new creative director Ricardo Tisci, formerly of Givenchy, who replaced Christopher Bailey will present his first collection next month.

'With a new designer in place everyone is excited to see what is going to happen with the brand,' Milda explained.

'The check has been on trend again for some time, with the print slightly changing making it different from what it was in the 80s.

'I think that the check is a definite for this season and will probably be very much here to stay.'

However, in the late noughties it was a different story as the check became associated with the kind of customers a luxury brand most definitely wants to avoid.

It was a favourite of Spice Girl Victoria Beckham who was still very firmly in WAG territory at the time, as opposed to her current high fashion status.

Meanwhile, Pete Doherty - known for his wild lifestyle and heroin addiction - was pictured looking dishevelled as he emerged form a nightclub with a Burberry scarf slung around his bare chest in 2005.

But the brand wasn't just the preserve of celebrities with the cash to invest in a high end brand.

Immediately recognisable, Burberry check was also an affordable way to access luxury with baseball caps, for instance, costing £50.

Worse still, it was easy to copy and spawned an industry of even cheaper counterfeits.

It became associated with football hooligans and some venues banned anyone wearing it, so entrenched was its connection with anti-social behaviour.

In the words of social commentator Peter York, author of the Official Sloane Ranger Handbook: ‘It was associated with people who did bad stuff, who went wild on the terraces.

'Quite a lot of people thought that Burberry would be worn by the person who mugged them.’