British Style Legends

Barbour

Is there another item of clothing which sums up outdoor pursuits, the British countryside and sheer utilitarian quality as well as Barbour? We think not. Instantly recognisable, constantly evolving, always reliable, Barbour quite simply are part of the fabric of British style. Now over 100 years old, the label is stronger than ever. In an age when durable, quality clothing is becoming more and more popular, the north-eastern firm has never seemed so right. 

It all started in a farm in Galloway, Scotland in 1849, when John Barbour was born. As a young man Barbour left Scotland and became a travelling draper, finally settling in South Shields and opening his first shop. Number 5 Market Place is now a pub called Rosie Malone’s, but in 1870 it opened it’s doors for trading as J Barbour and Son, and there they remained until 1957, when the firm moved to a new factory in Simonside. 

In the early days a large portion of Barbour’s success came from the market he served, which ultimately drove how he designed and made the clothing. Tyneside’s shipbuilders, fishermen, river and dock workers needed clothes which could stand up to the harshest weather, and Barbour delivered. In 1908 Barbour produced their first catalogue – and had by then expanded to supply oilskin clothing to farmers and farmworkers. Always an innovator, the catalogue was a stroke of genius: by 1917 mail order accounted for 75% of Barbour’s business. Barbours were being shipped to Hong Kong, Chile, New Zealand, Jamaica and Canada. 

During World War 2 Barbour produced waterproof clothing for the military, and developed the legendary Ursula suit which became standard issue for the Submarine Service: it was named after the U-class submarine and Captain George Philips helped get the suits produced: Philips visited South Shields and persuaded Barbour to cut a suit in two and make a hooded jacket and trousers with elastic at the waist and ankles. Reliable, durable, functional: total Barbour trademarks.

What is it that makes Barbour so unique? To us it’s the mixture of styling and quality. Take a jacket like the International. Instantly recognisable with a slanted left-hand chest pocket. You feel a link with the past as the jackets, while evolving to take in the needs of new customers, are essentially the same as they were 100 years ago. With the wax jackets you have the joy of feeling the wax age and develop it’s own unique patina. Every jacket becomes its owners, taking on an individual shape and wear. And the jackets work. The big brass zips with their distinctive ring pull can be opened and closed with hands numb from the cold. Waterproof really means waterproof with Barbour.

And Barbour look after you once you’ve bought a jacket: if you need it repaired or re-waxed you can send it back to Barbour and they’ll sort you out. Old school manners in an age of none.