Words by Lucy Hopton, Writer

If you spent an afternoon in St Andrews, the prevalence of Barbour Jackets may leave you thinking its commonplace for students to go shooting on the weekends in the highlands. Instantly recognisable for its wax covering, large pockets, and incorporation of tweed or corduroy, Barbour Jackets have some of the strongest brand identification in the UK.

Established over 125 years ago, Barbour incorporates traditional ideas of British heritage and country living into its marketing, offering both functional and fashionable outerwear. This was exemplified in their 2014 Land Rover collaboration, various honours from the IPC Shooting Awards, and their #BarbourWayofLife 2017 campaign.

In 1894, John Barbour founded J. Barbour & Sons in South Shields, near Newcastle, selling waterproof clothing to fishermen and farmers. In the following decades the company attracted global customers with a new mail order catalogue. During World War Two their national significance was recognised as they designed the Ursula Suit, a standard issue uniform on submarines; this sentiment was repeated in 2020 when the UK factory made 50,000 PPE gowns for NHS staff.

Today the fifth-generation family company has expanded into accessories and clothing, even showing at London Fashion Week. In its mission for sustainability, Barbour has offered coat rewaxing for a century and recently launched an upcycling service ‘Barbour Re-loved’.

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Barbour produced a motorcycle range 1936-1977, which was worn by most British bike teams. Famously, American actor Steve McQueen wore the Barbour ISDT Team Jacket to the 1964 International Six Day Trials. His ‘cool’ reputation popularised the style and inspired Barbour to collaborate with Triumph Motorcycles in 2015.

Steve McQueen wearing Barbour at the 1964 ISDT

Perhaps Barbour’s most famous customers are the British Royals. Queen Elizabeth II frequently wore the Barbour Beaufort around Balmoral, a look continued by King Charles and St Andrews alumna Kate Middleton. Yet Vice Chairman Helen Barbour argues that it was wealthy young women like Princess Diana in the 1980s who brought the coat into vogue – a look familiar to any fans of The Crown.

Emma Corrin and Tobias Mendez as Princess Diana and Prince Philip, wearing Barbour, *The Crown* Season 4

The Royals have long endorsed Barbour’s Britishness, granting it its first Royal Warrant in 1974, and appointing Margaret Barbour as Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2001.

Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton, in Barbour

In pop culture, Barbour surged into the limelight at Glastonbury as celebrities including Alex Turner, Lily Allen and Gemma Chan adorned the jackets for British summer.

Alex Turner in Barbour at Glastonbury 2007

The queen of ‘Indie Sleaze’ herself, Alexa Chung, was also a fan, creating a coat collection with Barbour. Interestingly the line includes a coat ‘Fife Casual’ (costing minimum £200).

In 2016 Barbour employed Sam Heughan as their first global ambassador, and they collaborated in 2019 on a collection. His rugged image in Outlander alongside growing up near John Barbour’s home on the Scottish border, Heughan was the perfect fit.

On screen, Barbour works with classic British characters. After the wholesome 2022 Christmas advert with Paddington Bear, this year’s ‘Baa-bour’ advert shows Shaun the Sheep gifting a jacket to their farmer.

Finally, James Bond himself wears Barbour whilst in Scotland in Skyfall. From royals to spies to farmers, though broad, Barbour somehow consistently symbolises various traditional lifestyles of British countryside living.

Daniel Craig as James Bond wearing Barbour in *Skyfall* 2012

With all this said, it must be acknowledged that St Andrews fashion is not an accurate representation of the rest of Scotland. The average income for Fife and neighbouring Clackmannanshire is 11.2% below national level - this is a far cry from that of the celebrities in this article, also probably many of the students here who can afford a Barbour. At the end of the day, Barbour is a luxury brand promoting a lifestyle that much of the UK don’t experience, so whilst it symbolises ‘Britishness’, we ought to be critical about what exactly they mean.

These images show Barbour’s influence on British Fashion, not only with its popularity amongst famous clientele but also its longevity and durability. Perhaps their brand imagery is one which some St Andrews students associate with, explaining their reputation around town.

Sources:

About Barbour: History | Barbour

Barbour x Shaun the Sheep: Barbour Christmas Advert 2023 | Shaun the Sheep x Baa-bour - YouTube

Interview with Helen Barbour: Barbour: From farmers and fishermen to fashion royalty - BBC News

Statistics on Fife Income: Fife’s economic inequality: Above average for productivity, below average for income (fifetoday.co.uk)

Why Barbour?