Me And My Barbour Jacket

A friend of mine who runs a fashion blog was recently asked what a Barbour Jacket was. Not knowing the answer, she did a little research and this is what she found.

The Barbour Jacket is as famous in England as Scotch whiskey. This durable jacket gives comfort and class while resisting cold winds, rain, freezing cold and hailstorms.

Advertised as the country men’s best friend, these versatile jackets have graduated from the cliché and moved into high-class urban society and even Hollywood. Only quality Egyptian cotton is used in these jackets, with stitched brass studs and heavy duty metal zippers. You will find the jacket to be surprisingly light weight and comes in different cuts and styles to flatter the figure. Barbour Jacket started its humble beginning in 1839. With the support of his dear wife Margaret and their eleven children, John Barbour was able to finally open a shop in South Shields. The initial clientele seemed to only be a mix of sailors, shipyard, river and dock workers or people from the local fishing community. The shop sold cotton jackets that were waxed to withstand the harsh surrounding wet weather. The ability of these jackets to keep you warm no matter what the weather was so good and their fame spread so wide, that during WWI and WWII, they were greatly sought after by army personnel. To this day, the jackets are still totally hand stitched with 100,000 jackets being made at their South Shields factory in England.

In 1908, Barbour published its first catalog, promoting the Barbour Jacket to sailors, fisherman and farmers, who happened to be John's largest clients.

By 1917, the Barbour mail order catalog had grown to encompass 75% of the business orders, including international orders from countries like Chile, South Africa and Hong Kong. Under the recommendations of Duncan Barbour, the company in the 1930's started a motorcyclist clothing line.

In 1957, Barbour became manufactures and marketers, moving their factory to the Simonside Trading Estate with is on the fringe of South Shields. In 1974, the Duke of Edinburgh gave Barbour it's first Royal Warrant. Following this came the creation of classics such as the light weight riding jacket called the Bedale, then of course there was the Border and the Beaufort Jacket. Barbour classic jackets shifted from country wear to casual wear with many people choosing to wear the jacket for day to day activities.

Today, Barbour has over 2000 products for all seasons, and caters to Women and Children as well. There are 8 retail shops spread across the UK, with 29 shops worldwide in countries like Germany, Holland, Austria, France, US, Italy, Spain, Argentina, New Zealand and Japan. If it's the 90's you like, take a look at 90s fashion.