by There can’t be many brands that appeal to both a farmer from rural Devon and a fashion obsessive in London. But there are also not many labels that have lasted since 1894, staying true to their founding principles while also evolving with the times.
This week, South Shields-based Barbour reported record sales of £343m. On the one hand, for those of us who live in our waxed jackets during the wet and windy festive period, this won’t come as a surprise. But a globally relevant company doesn’t rely solely on a couple of styles of weatherproof coats, especially when it prides itself on those items lasting for years and encourages owners to repair and wax theirs instead of buying a new one.
Barbour is undoubtedly a great British success story. Over the years it evolved conservatively, providing waterproof clothing to the military and those working outdoors, as well as creating a motorcycling range in the 1930s which was later worn by Steve McQueen. Now in their sixth generation as a family business, they are a trio of women (Dame Margaret Barbour, Queen Elizabeth and Alexa Chung) who embody how it has become what it is today.
Dame Margaret, the company’s 84-year-old president, is what Barbour’s young fans, the “Hackney farmers”, might call “something of a legend”. In 1964, she married John Barbour, great-grandson of the founder of the brand, who had started in the Market Place in South Shields selling oilcloths from Scotland. She believed she could have a quiet life as a school teacher and mother to her young daughter, Helen, but when John died suddenly in 1968, Margaret was forced to devote herself to the family business, working alongside her mother Nancy “Granny” Barbour, to make it a success.
From this somewhat improbable foundation, she did just that and transformed the family business. This is where the late Queen Elizabeth comes into play. She remains the poster child for Barbour’s core style: rural, uncomplicated and defined by rigorous practicality, this demographic of Barbour wearers is accidentally stylish rather than choosing theirs as an authentic fashion statement.
It’s difficult to pinpoint exactly when the late Queen got her first Barbour, but there are dozens of images of her at Windsor and Balmoral from the 1970s onwards wearing one with a kilt, sturdy walking shoes and one of her beloved handkerchiefs. head of Hermes. She is known to have rejected Barbour’s offers to have her jacket replaced (so old that her style had long since been discontinued), preferring instead a new wax trim.
“Barbour’s main appeal is its link to tradition,” confirms Dr Benjamin Wild, senior lecturer in fashion narratives at Manchester Metropolitan University. “As a family business established in the 19th century, with three royal warrants and an enviable list of royal clients, Barbour can easily be associated with British aristocracy and country leisure activities.”
Dame Margaret, now working closely with CEO Steve Buck and his daughter Helen, who is vice president, has kept this contingent happy, gently updating signature styles and ensuring high manufacturing standards are maintained (waxed jackets are still made in the Northeast, while other products are manufactured globally).
But for every Queen-like client, you need an Alexa Chung (or two). The Hampshire-born It girl, who grew up wearing Barbour while looking after her ponies, repurposed the coats as a fashion item, leading the trend of wearing them with party clothes at Glastonbury and in the city, where it is the closest thing to a speck. of clay is like a garnish in the latest concept restaurant. After years of wearing her Beaufort wax jacket, Chung launched a collaboration with the brand in 2019 that lasted several seasons: the Princess of Wales even added one of her designs to her collection of at least five Barbour coats.
The Alexa era made Barbour appeal to a new generation. Sienna Miller, Dominic Cooper and Fearne Cotton are among her famous fans and she has appeared on screen everywhere since The crown and Succession to the James Bond movies. The brand has taken the cool factor and run with it, launching collaborations with brands ranging from French fashion house Chloé to luxury interiors brand House of Hackney, which act as glamorous accompaniments to the sturdy weatherproof jackets. He credited his recent collaborations with Scandinavian brand Ganni and Gucci as part of the reason he has achieved skyrocketing sales this year.
These collaborations have also attracted a new contingent of fans who may not have invested in a classic olive green style. “I always thought Barbour was an exclusive privilege for outdoorsmen, with their classic wax jackets and a pair of wellies,” says fashion editor Erica Davies, who recently purchased a Barbour jacket from another collaboration with Roksanda Ilincic.
“Since I moved to the country, I can perfectly see the appeal [of Barbour] but it was their Roksanda collection that I completely fell in love with – its signature sparkles mixed with its weatherproof practicality,” Davies continues.
“I bought the maroon and neon yellow IDA coat when it first came out and then returned it 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 multiple favorite platforms. Then a year later they reduced it to 30 percent of its original price and I bought it again! I have been prevented from using it many times, by both men and women. The color and style draw attention, but honestly, it’s like getting a hug.”
Barbour’s next fashion must-have will be a collaboration with designer Erdem from London Fashion Week, inspired by Deborah Mitford, the former Duchess of Devonshire, and the ornate fabrics from the archives of the ducal seat, Chatsworth House. She will land in stores starting at the end of next month. “Erdem’s SS24 show was one of my favorite collections from the brand, and the ‘I Must’ theme fit wonderfully with what fashion is always meant to do: look back while moving forward,” says fashion consultant Ginnie Chadwyck-Healey, who remembers getting her first Barbour at age six (“possibly the only time I ‘dressed father and daughter’; my brothers had them too”).
We shouldn’t discount how much power the classic Barbour aesthetic this collaboration speaks to still has. Chadwyck-Healey points out how the fact that Barbour is synonymous with all things British gives it weight on the world stage. “A Barbour is what every American aspires to have to have that ‘nice English country look,’ and it’s what the Asian market is crazy about as well. “There are many types of audiences to serve, but the brand has done it.” No wonder Rishi Sunak decided to gift what the Duke of Edinburgh once called one of “those old, smelly, sweaty, sticky jackets” to Joe Biden on a visit to the United States last summer.
Prada also emulated Barbour in its SS24 collection, although its version will no doubt cost a lot more than the £200-£300 that Barbour charges for a classic waxed jacket. For anyone who doesn’t want to wait 20 winters to achieve the weathered, distressed look that’s so desirable now, you can pick up a vintage-style Barbour on eBay, Depop or Vestiaire Collective for around £100.
Wild sums up Barbour’s business success: “In an increasingly saturated market, Barbour’s pursuit of product design and philosophy that is simple and purposeful helps it cut through the noise of many newer outerwear brands.” .
But emotion is everything. And no one says it better than supermodel Yasmin Le Bon, another recent collaborator. “Barbour jackets have always been there in the background, they are always something you can rely on. “I can’t imagine life without one.”
Which Barbour is right for you?
Beaufort jacquard jacket, £1,970, Gucci x Barbour Re-Loved; Burghley puffer jacket, £395, Barbour x Ganni
Ennis puffer jacket, £229, barbour; Explorer Waxed Jacket, £649, Barbour x CP
Marie Waterproof Trench, £259, barbour; Barbour Border Jacket, £70, of pop
Beaufort Waxed Jacket, £289, barbour
More Barbour looks
