Burberry was founded in 1856, making it a staple in our closet for generations. Where would fashion be today without those trench coats?

The departure of the president, one of the faces that made the brand what it is today, could throw the company for a loop.

It was announced in late October that Christopher Bailey, the Burberry president and chief creative officer, would be leaving the company in March of next year. Bailey has been with the company for 17 years.

Industry leaders always raved about Bailey.

“He has been a huge influence on everything in fashion over the last couple of years,” said Jonathan Saunders, creative director of Diane von Furstenberg. “At one moment almost all young British independent designers went to him for advice about their business and career.”

He started out as design director in 2001, worked his way to becoming creative director in 2004, and was promoted to chief creative officer five years later in 2009. His current position as both chief executive and chief creative officer was acquired when one of the the two chief executives, Angela Ahrendts, left the company in 2014.

At the time that Bailey earned his duel titles, the global luxury sales had hit a downfall for a variety of reasons including foreign exchange rates and the decrease of China’s economic growth. This took a major hit on Burberry’s share value.

Bailey’s position in both the creative and commercial aspects of the company started to be criticized, as people didn’t have faith in his ability to succeed in his balancing act. He eventually gave up his chief executive title to Marco Gobbetti in July of this year.

He is open to working on other projects and there is no word of who will take the highly coveted place, but I assure you that the entire fashion industry is waiting at the edge of their seat.

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