The Bite Magazine - Autumn/Winter 2021 - Issue 30

bitefragrance I t’s always a privilege to appreciate longstanding brands that have stood the test of time and moved with the trends of today. One such British brand is Barbour which began its journey when Scottish native John Barbour opened his company, J Barbour & Sons, at 5 Market Place, South Shields in 1894. The company produced the first mail-order catalogue in 1908 which accounted for almost 75% of its business including in- ternational orders from Chile, South Africa and Hong Kong by 1917. Jack and Malcolm Barbour helped their father in the business which also contributed to its success. In 1936, Duncan Barbour, John’s grandson, who had joined the business eight years earlier, used his interest in motorcycles to introduce a motorcycling range that quickly took off. He also launched Barbour suits that were worn by virtually every British International team until 1977, the year the brand pulled out of the motorcycle clothing market. When Duncan was called away to war, his father and wife, Nancy, took over the running of the business. The duo developed the Ursula suit, named after the U-class submarine, which became the standard uniform for members of the Submarine Service. Following the deaths of her husband, Duncan in 1957, father-in-law, Malcolm in 1964 and son, John in 1968, Nancy became the Chairman and John’s widow Marga- ret was immediately elected as a member of the Board of Directors. In April 1974, Barbour received its first Royal Warrant from HRH the Duke of Edinburgh, the second in 1982 from Her Majesty the Queen, and the third in 1987 from HRH the Prince of Wales. In 1980, the first lightweight thornproof short riding jacket, the Bedale, was designed and the distinctive black and gold Barbour International badge appeared on the motorcycling jacket of the same name. This was followed by the Beaufort Jacket designed by Margaret Barbour in 1983 which featured in the catalogue for the first time. Eight years later, she received a CBE for services to the industry and then appointed a Dame in the 2001 New Year’s Honours List. After winning the Best Shooting Clothing Product at the IPC Shooting Awards for the Northumberland range designed by Lord James Percy in 2005, Barbour’s fashion profile was raised when they became the jacket of choice at the 2007 Glastonbury Festival with acts and celebrities such as the Arctic Monkeys, Lily Allen and Rufus Wainwright all wearing the brand. They again won the Best Shooting Clothing Product at the IPC Shooting Industry Awards for the Linhope Endur- ance 3 in 1 jacket in 2008. In 2013, the brand sponsored the Newcastle Falcons rugby team and dressed the players, coaches and management of the team. The following year, Barbour collaborated with British luxury vehicle manufactur- er Land Rover and launched a AW14 clothing and accessories collection for both men and women. This opened up an opportunity to present the brand at London Fashion Week Men’s for the first time at the Swiss Church in Covent Garden in 2015, highlighting key pieces from the AW15 range. Barbour went on to sign Scottish actor Sam Heughan as its first global brand ambassador in 2016 and launch Images courtesy of Profile Public Relations