Burberry recreates Shackleton’s outfits for Antarctic trek
UK fashion brand Burberry has recreated the garments worn by Ernest Shackleton’s crew on their landmark expedition of Antarctica in 1915.
When their ship, the Endurance, was lost to frigid pack ice, Shackleton kept his crew of 27 men alive for over a year.
To support ‘Endurance’, the National Geographic documentary that tells this tale of survival, Burberry has recreated the garments made with gabardine, a rain and weather-resistant fabric invented by Thomas Burberry in 1879.
As part of the programme, a team of modern-day explorers traced their steps to uncover the sunken ship wearing the Burberry anoraks, trousers and hoods.
The director, Jimmy Chin, said: ‘It’s the greatest survival tale ever told, but the world may have forgotten the details.”
The producer, Ruth Johnston, added: “I called Burberry soon after production began as they’re integral to this story. Shackleton’s men were wearing Thomas Burberry’s material, gabardine, and they wouldn’t have survived without it. Burberry agreed to make outfits from the original pattern and material for our recreations. In below-freezing temperatures in Iceland, the mountain guides who played the expedition crew were amazed at how well Burberry worked.”
In addition to the Endurance expedition, Sir Ernest Shackleton wore Burberry gabardine for two other Antarctic expeditions, including the Nimrod Expedition in 1907-1909 when he used a sheet of Burberry gabardine to protect the engine of his motor car from freezing over.
To celebrate the release of ‘Endurance’, Burberry will host two of the 10 replicas created for the documentary at its Regent Street, London, flagship store for public view until October 31.
