Stretching the plaid; Face value; Face value: Rose Marie Bravo, the American behind Burberry's revival.(Business)(It took an American to turn an unfashionable British clothing label into a coveted luxury brand. Has Rose Marie Bravo built Burberry to last?)(Brief Article)(Company Profile)

Economist (US), The, February, 2001

BRITAIN is in the grip of Burberry mania. Two years ago, the label was shunned by all but Asian tourists for its naff plaid-lined raincoats that not even dead men would be caught wearing. Today, everyone from Posh Spice to Cherie Blair, who wore Burberry to the state opening of Parliament, is sporting its signature camel, black and red plaid design. Tamara Beckwith (a party girl, apparently) dresses her dog in it, and Kate Moss prompted a run on Burberry's teeny-weeny bikini after the supermodel wore one in an ad. And the company, owned by Great Universal Stores ( GUS ), a British retailer, is on track for a flotation that could value it at up to [pound]2 billion ($2.9 billion).

That the woman behind this transformation, Rose Marie Bravo, is an American should...

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