John Barbour, a native of Galloway, Scotland, founded J. Barbour and Sons Ltd in South Shields, England, in 1894 as an importer of oil-cloth. John's grandson Duncan, a keen motorcyclist, would also take the company in that direction during his tenure as Barbour became the originator of waxed cotton motorcycling suits and jackets. The headquarters for J. Barbour and Sons Ltd at the time of its foundation was located at 5 Market Place, South Shields and the company remains in South Shields today having occupied its current site since the 1980s. While the traditional waxed cotton jackets are still manufactured in Simonside, South Shields, some of the other products are manufactured outside the United Kingdom.
Products
In addition to its waxed and quilted jackets, J. Barbour & Sons Ltd is famous for sweaters, moleskin clothing, corduroy clothing, and tattersall shirts. Barbour has also entered the "waterproof-breathable" market with its own type waterproof liners, cordura external fabric and polar fleece sweaters. Some Barbour products contain outdoor-orientated features such as snug-fitting collars, "storm cuffs", waterproof pockets with drainage holes and wide "game" pockets. In recent years the company has successfully modernised its collections to appeal to a younger clientele while maintaining credibility with the traditional countryside customer. Many of the more fashionable ranges are influenced by the "Barbour International" motorcycling ranges. Taking inspiration from the company's 1936 waxed cotton motorcycling suit and the 1951 "Original Green" motorcycling jacket, modern collections are fashionable interpretations of the companies heritage in bikes. Despite traditional connotations with rural life, Barbour jackets saw increased popularity as an urban fashion item in the 2010s decade. In 2010s Barbour collaborated with several notable urban fashion brands including WoodWood, AlexaChung, and White Mountaineering.
Services
Some customers keep Barbour waxed jackets for years, sometimes decades. Among such people, the wear-and-tear on the garment can be addressed by Barbour's repair service, which patches and reinforces jackets. J. Barbour and Sons Ltd repairs and rewaxes a total of over 25,000 jackets annually at the Simonside, South Shields and other facilities. Aside from offering merchandise within Barbour retail stores, Barbour wholesales all of its collections to many upscale department and speciality stores worldwide.
In Popular Culture
Barbour's distinctive waxed jackets and coats have appeared in numerous films with one of the most noteworthy being in 2012's Skyfall, in which James Bond, played by Daniel Craig wears a modified Barbour jacket. Barbour has a long-standing line of clothing inspired by actor and avid motorcycle racerSteve McQueen, who was known for exclusively wearing Barbour during races.
