Barbour or J. Barbour & Sons Ltd is a British luxury and lifestyle brand founded in 1894 by John Barbour and produces waxed cotton outerwear, ready-to-wear, shoes and accessories. When he returned from a trip through Scotland, he decided to open a shop called “Barbour and Sons”, initially only as an importer of oilcloth, in South Shields, a small port town in northeast England.

Barbour became known worldwide for their waxed cotton jackets, which are a common element of British country clothing. Some even refer to any waxed cotton jacket, regardless of brand, as a “barbour jacket.”

The brand began with the production of waterproof clothing for fishermen, industrial workers and riders and invented the wax jackets, which are still firmly associated with the name Barbour today. The brand embodies life “in the English countryside”, which contrasts with the restless and fast life in the city.

They design clothing for all leisure activities that can be enjoyed on the coast and in rural areas in England. Barbour stands for authenticity, quality and functionality and is constantly reinventing classic models. They now produce clothes for children, women, men and even dogs. In addition to functional clothing, Barbour also offers shoes, jackets, shirts, blouses and knitwear.

The brand still produces some classic wax jacket models today in the small production facilities in South Shields and thus remains true to itself.

To date, Barbour has received the “Royal Warrant” three times. This award made the company a court supplier to the English and Scottish noble houses. In addition to innovative equestrian clothing, Barbour also produced motorcycle clothing between 1936 and 1977, which was worn by almost every British motorcycle team.

Even though Barbour is a very traditional company that at first glance has nothing to do with streetwear, the owners of the brand have made the leap to become a lifestyle brand in recent years.

In April 2020, for example, Barbour collaborated with the hype brand Supreme and created a collection that sold out in just a few minutes. The focus was on a cotton wax jacket, which was available in three eye-catching colors. The “Bedale” riding jacket from the eighties served as inspiration. In addition to jackets, the collection also included accessories such as caps, bucket hats and fanny packs.

Another collaboration, which made the hearts of streetwear fans beat faster, took place in autumn 2021. Together with the Japanese brand A Bathing Ape, Barbour designed a collection of sweatshirts, T-shirts, hats and a dog coat. Here, too, the Bedale jacket was reissued in three variants and interpreted in a modern way. The camouflage print is an integral part of many A Bathing Ape collections and was also found here.

Barbour also collaborated with brands such as Land Rover, Norse Projects and NOAH, Chloé, GANNI, House of Hackney, Moncler, ALEXACHUNG, Brompton and film director Ridley Scott.

In 2014, they worked with Adidas. Together, they released a collection in three parts, which were named “Country”, “Spectator” and “Military.” They reissued the ZX 555, Columbia, GSG9 and the TS Runner. The sneakers have been combined with elements of Barbour's functional outerwear and are therefore ideal for the usually bad English weather.

The shoes from this collaboration made it possible to combine sport with traditional British country fashion. The outer material of the TS Runner is made of dark brown leather. The tongue made from the waxed canvas of Barbour jackets. The well-known features of both brands were also perfectly combined in outerwear: The “Adiwick” jacket was based on Barbour's “Beaufort” model from the eighties and was provided with sporty details to create a piece of clothing with traditional country charm and for all weather conditions.