Angela Ahrendts claims that she never watches the Burberry share price. “It's a waste of time,” she said. “It's like your weight - you don't get on the scales every day, you should just watch your diet.”

But it is likely that the American, who took over as Burberry's chief executive two years ago, may have sneaked a peek yesterday as a bullish trading statement sent the luxury fashion group's stock up more than 10 per cent.

The memories of a share fall earlier this year, after sluggish quarterly sales figures, were forgotten, emphasising how the luxury sector is defying the gloom that is buffeting the rest of the retail world.

Total global sales in the six months to March were up by a better-than-expected 19 per cent. The success is also testimony to the wisdom of Ms Ahrendts's decision to make Burberry ever more luxurious.

Under Ms Ahrendts, the group is trying to sell a higher proportion of more expensive products in a move that it hopes will banish the days when the Burberry trademark check was synonymous with “chavs” - a term that Ms Ahrendts had never heard on her arrival to these shores.

This strategy has seen Burberry make a wholesale push into new markets and accessories such as silk scarves, shoes and handbags, which now account for more than 30 per cent of revenue. The alligator-skin Warrior handbag, which costs a cool £13,000, is among her favourite products.

The daughter of a model, Ms Ahrendts, 47, had always dreamed of a career in fashion as a teenager. Graduating from Indiana's Ball State University in 1981, she cut her teeth at Donna Karan, rising to president.

The mother of three joined Liz Claiborne in 1998 and was responsible for more than 40 per cent of annual sales.

Burberry, and the chance to mastermind the global expansion of the 150-year old company, was too big an opportunity to turn down. She is scouring not only China but also Vietnam, Russia, Kuwait and Egypt. “I believe we are the greatest growth story in the sector,” she said.

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