How do you preserve the label’s heritage while remaining modern?

We’re fortunate to have an archive that goes back to 1910. As a design team, we can use our past to define our future to ensure that our products are both authentic and relevant. We consistently sense-check our archive, design heritage and the principles with which we create products at Barbour.
We are also lucky because the core elements of our DNA – wax, quilt, tartan, cord and brass metalware – are very forgiving in how you can play with them, while still looking like a Barbour product. We find that if we ‘stick to our knitting’ in terms of our designs, our customer is very accepting and excited by new shapes and directions.

What does Barbour stand for to you?

Barbour has become a national icon of sorts; the no-nonsense pragmatism behind our products and our family-run business is reassuring and attractive. At its heart, you have to go back to our catalogues over the last century and the phrase ‘The best British brand for the worst British weather’. I’ve always loved that statement. There is a directness and brevity to it, which is something of a lost art form these days.

At the Selfridges x Barbour Factory, you can purchase Barbour’s ‘Re-Loved’ collectables collection – how did you come to acquire these pieces, and what do you love about them? 

The Barbour Re-Loved collectables were all garnered through our Re-Loved programme, in which customers can trade a jacket that they no longer want in return for a contribution to a brand-new one. There are, of course, a great variety of styles, ages and repair states that the jackets arrive in. We sort through these and divide them into classic and contemporary styles, clean them, and then re-wax and repair the jackets we need to.
Older, pre-worn jackets have the wear and tear and patina of experiences and adventures written into them. That’s why people love our products: they tell the stories of past lives and very much become a part of their history.

The Selfridges x Barbour Factory is just one example of how Barbour consistently encourages wearers to treasure, repair and restore their wax jackets. Why is this so important to the brand? 

Our founder, John Barbour, wrote about ‘coming to handgrips’ with our customers – ie: a fair handshake. We have always been an inclusive brand and one that provides a good value proposition. These principles of quality, durability and practicality allied with a sense of style and relevance are at the heart of what we are about. We want our jackets and all our products to stand the test of time as they are a continuing advertisement of our skill, craft and commitment to quality.

What advice would you give to wearers wishing to keep their Barbour jacket in great condition for as long as possible? 

Re-wax your jacket annually, if you wear it regularly. Don’t dry it near a radiator when it’s damp. Never put it in the washing machine!
That’s it! Just enjoy it and use if for what it’s meant for: to keep you warm and dry in the great British lottery that is our weather.