Burberry, the upscale retailer and brand, has launched a social networking site celebrating its famous trench coat.

Burberry will work with some of the top photographers to catalogue trench coat wearers’ love of the clothing.

Visitors to Artofthetrench.com will may add their own portraits of them wearing their coats.

Burberry creative director Christopher Bailey commissioned a collection of photographs of trench wearers for the launch, taken by photographer Scott Schuman of The Sartorialist.

Bailey said: “Artofthetrench.com celebrates our iconic trench coat, capturing the emotional connection behind our distinctive outerwear heritage. Everybody has a different story related to their coat or the first time they came into contact with one - I love the idea that people from all over the world can share those stories and images with each other and all the different attitudes and expressions of the Burberry trench coat and the people who wear it.”

The trench coat was designed by Burberry founder Thomas Burberry for British officers in 1914.