London— Angela Ahrendts still remembers when she bought her first Burberry trench coat. She was 21, had just finished her studies in Indiana and was looking for a smart but warm coat to wear for her first job at a small menswear firm in New York.

Those raincoats, a 95-year-old fashion icon, remain Burberry’s bestselling item, and Ahrendts — who now runs the company— is hoping to move the quintessentially British brand into the age of the Internet.

On Monday, Burberry introduced a social networking site, artofthetrench.com, to encourage people to share their own trench coat stories. It is the latest step by Ahrendts and her creative director, Christopher Bailey, to build on the brand’s British heritage and trademark plaid with a more modern twist.

The move reflects a broader move by luxury goods companies, which have generally failed to figure out how to sell their wares online. Indeed, many have shunned the Web, seeing it as mostly a place for bargain hunters to search for knock-offs or counterfeits.

But as affluent, aging customers in developed countries cut back on purchases of luxury goods, the Web represents an opportunity for growth. Salvatore Ferragamo announced plans for an online store in October, following Prada and Bulgari to the Net. Faberge, creator of the legendary Imperial Easter eggs, started selling its new jewelry collection almost exclusively on the Web in September.

For years Burberry was seen as a limited brand, a potential takeover target for the likes of Coach, Richemont and LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton. But it has done better than most of its competitors in the recession. Sales rose 4.6 percent to 343 million pounds, or $568 million, in the three months through September, beating expectations, and its share price has doubled in the past year, serving as a defense against takeover attempts.

Since taking over three years ago, Ahrendts, 49, has cut $82 million in costs, added more shoes and handbags, and expanded in the United States and Asia.

“The biggest thing that keeps me up at night is how can we continue to evolve this organization in order to stay ahead of the curve,” she said. “My job is to always look two to three years ahead and look round the corner and see what’s coming.” (NYT)