This has caused a lot of controversy.
Burberry, one of Britain’s leading fashion brands, have burned clothes and cosmetics worth several millions in an attempt to avoid the clothes being counterfeited.
The company burned unsold clothes, as well as accessories and perfume in the value of £28 million, according to its annual report.
The logic behind this process is to ensure that the clothes are not sold at discounted prices.
Retailers claim that it’s also a measure to protect intellectual property.
In a statement given to RTÉ, the company said: “Burberry has careful processes in place to minimise the amount of excess stock we produce.”
“On the occasions when disposal of products is necessary, we do so in a responsible manner and we continue to seek ways to reduce and revalue our waste.”
You can read Burberry’s annual report in full here, which boasts an operating profit of £410 million.
It appears that the burning of unsold clothes is a common occurrence in the fashion industry, with Burberry supposedly having burned of over £90 million worth of clothes and cosmetics in the past five years.
Just a quick look on the Burberry website shows that you can buy a dress that looks more like a poncho than anything for over £10 thousand.
Yep. You read that correctly.
