Burberry: The Tale of Thomas Burberry

English luxury fashion house Burberry unveiled its three-minute Christmas 2016 commercial. Like previous Burberry Christmas adverts, “The Tale of Thomas Burberry” was made as a cinematic trailer template, too.

Directed by Asif Kapadia, the cast of Burberry’s advert is impressive: Sienna Miller (as Thomas’s fictional first love Sara, wearing a selection of custom Burberry products), Dominic West (known from The Wire), Lily James and Domhnall Gleeson (known from Ex Machina). Shot over six days in England (Shirburn Castle in Oxfordshire), with the screenplay written by Academy Award nominee Matt Charman. Sets from the film, including Thomas Burberry’s workshop, were inspired by archive materials.

Thomas Burberry began the company at the age of 21 and in 1879 invented gabardine – the fabric with which Burberry’s signature trench coat is made today.

“This Christmas, as we celebrate our 160th anniversary we wanted to tell the story of Thomas Burberry – pioneer, inventor, innovator, and the man behind the iconic trench coat – in our own words.” said Burberry chief creative and chief executive Christopher Bailey.

Film production by Black Label and post-production The Mill.