by There can’t be many brands that appeal to a farmer in the Devon countryside as much as a fashion obsessive in London. But then there aren’t many labels that have survived since 1894, staying true to their original principles while changing with the times.
This week, South Shields-based Barbour reported record sales of £343 million. On the one hand, for those of us who lived in our wax jackets during the wet and windy festival, this will come as no surprise. But a globally relevant company hasn’t been built on just a few styles of weatherproof coat – especially when it prides itself on those items that last for years and encourage owners to repair and re-wax their own instead of buying a new one. buy.
Barbour is undoubtedly a great success story. It evolved conservatively over the years, providing waterproof clothing for the military and those working outdoors as well as creating a range of motorcycles in the 1930s that were later worn by Steve McQueen. Now in its sixth generation as a family business, it is three women – Dame Margaret Barbour, Queen Elizabeth and Alexa Chung – who give an insight into how it is today.
Dame Margaret, the company’s 84-year-old chairman, is what young Barbour fans might call a “Hackney farmer” “a bit of a legend”. In 1964, she married John Barbour, grandson of the brand’s founder who started out in South Shields’ Market Place selling oil skins from Scotland. She believed she could have a quiet and peaceful life as a school teacher and mother to their young daughter, Helen, But when John died suddenly in 1968, Margaret was thrown into the family business, working alongside her mother Nancy “Granny” Barbour, to succeed.
From this somewhat unlikely foundation, she has done just that and transformed the family business. This is where the late Queen Elizabeth comes in. She is still the poster woman for the core Barbour look – rustic, effortless and defined by strict practicality.
It’s hard to say exactly when the late Queen got her first Barbour but there are many images of her at Windsor and Balmoral from the 1970s onwards wearing one for festivals, sturdy walking shoes and one of her beloved Hermes head scarves. She turned down offers from Barbour to change her jacket (so old, its style had long since gone out of production), preferring re-waxed spruce instead.
“Barbour’s main source of appeal is its link to tradition,” confirms Dr Benjamin Wild, Senior Lecturer in Fashion Reporting at Manchester City University. “As a family company founded in the 19th century, with three royal warrants and an enviable list of royal customers, Barbour can easily be associated with British aristocracy and country pursuits.”
Dame Margaret, who now works closely with managing director Steve Buck and her daughter Helen, who is vice-chairman, has kept this contingency happy, gently updating the signature styles and ensuring high manufacturing standards are maintained (made the wax jackets are still in the North East although other products are made all over the world).
But for every Queen-like customer, you need an Alexa Chung (or two). The Hampshire-born It girl, who grew up wearing Barbour and her ponies, re-introduced the coats as a fashion item, leading the trend to wear them with party gear at Glastonbury and the city, as nearest to you. Mud is the garnish in the latest concept restaurant. After years of wearing its Beaufort wax jacket, Chung launched a collaboration with the brand in 2019 that ran for several seasons – the Princess of Wales even added one of the designs to her collection of at least five Barbour coats.
Alexa’s age made Barbour appeal to a new generation. His celebrity fans include Sienna Miller, Dominic Cooper and Fearne Cotton and he has appeared on screen everywhere from The Crown and Succession Movies about James bond. The label took advantage of the cool factor and ran with it, launching collaborations with labels from French fashion house Chloé to luxury interior label House of Hackney, which act as glamorous accompaniments to the solid waterproof jackets. He credited his recent collaborations with Scandi label Ganni and Gucci as part of the reason he has achieved record sales this year.
These collaborations also attracted a new contingent of fans who might not have invested in the classic olive green style. “I’ve always thought Barbour was the keeper of the outdoors – with its classic wax jackets and a pair of wellies,” says fashion editor Erica Davies, who recently bought a Barbour jacket from another collaboration with Roksanda Ilincic.
“Having moved to the countryside myself, I can totally see the appeal [of Barbour] but it was their Roksanda collection that really took me away – its bright signatures mixed with weatherproof practicality,” continues Davies.
“I bought the maroon and neon yellow IDA coat when it first came out, then sent it back because I felt guilty about the price. But it was the piece I couldn’t stop thinking about, even adding it as an alert on various platforms that I loved. Then a year later, it was reduced to 30 percent of its original price and I bought it back! I have stopped wearing it many times, by men and women. The color and style are eye-catching, but honestly it’s like hugging.”
The next essential for Barbour fashion is the collaboration with Erdem, designer of London Fashion Week, inspired by Deborah Mitford, former Duchess of Devonshire, and the ornate fabrics in the archive of the ducal seat, Chatsworth House. It will land in stores from the end of next month. “The SS24 Erdem show was one of my favorite collections from the brand, and the ‘Debo’ theme beautifully encapsulated what fashion always aims to do, look back and move momentum forward, ” says fashion consultant Ginnie Chadwyck-Healey, who remembers wearing Barbour when she was six (“maybe the only time I did a ‘father/daughter outfit’ – my brothers had them too ).
We shouldn’t dismiss the power of the classic Barbour aesthetic that this collaboration still speaks to. Chadwyck-Healey shows how Barbour is synonymous with all things British making a significant contribution to the world stage. “Barbour is what any American aspires to own that ‘beautiful English country look’, and that’s what the Asian market is crazy about too. That’s a lot of different audiences to cater to but the brand has done it.” Little wonder Rishi Sunak chose to give Joe Biden what the Duke of Edinburgh once called one of those “smelly, sweaty, sticky old jackets” on a visit to the US last summer.
Prada also imitated Barbour in its SS24 collection – although its version will cost significantly more than the £200-£300 Barbour charges for a classic wax jacket. For anyone who doesn’t want to wait 20 winters for the beaten-down, lived-in look that’s so desirable now, you can find a vintage-style Barbour on eBay, Depop or Vestiaire Collective for around £100.
Wild sums up Barbour’s business success this way: “In an increasingly crowded market, Barbour’s pursuit of a simple and compelling product design and philosophy helps cut through the noise of many newer outerwear brands.”
But feelings are everything. And no one puts it better than supermodel Yasmin Le Bon, another recent collaborator. “Barbour jackets have always been there in the background, something you can always count on. I can’t imagine life without life.”
Which Barbour is right for you?
Beaufort Jacquard Jacket, £1,970, Gucci x Barbour love again; Burghley quilted jacket, £395, Barbour x Ganni
Ennis quilted jacket, £229, Barbour; Explorer wax jacket, £649, Barbour x CP
Marie shower trench, £259, Barbour; Barbour Border jacket, £70, Depop
Beaufort wax jacket, £289, Barbour
Looks more Barbour
