J.Barbour and Sons Ltd was founded by Scottish native John Barbour in South Shields, England in 1894. He began by supplying oilskins and other garments to protect the growing community of sailors, fishermen and dockers from the worst of the North Sea weather.
In 1908, John’s son, Malcolm Barbour introduced a mail order catalogue which attracted orders from far and wide. Using a mail order catalogue helped cement Barbour as the go-to guys for reliable outdoor clothing. By 1917, 75% of their orders were made via the mail order catalogue.
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Fast forward to the modern era and in 2004, Barbour began to work with Lord James Percy in the design and marketing of its fl agship shooting clothing range – the Northumberland range.
Technically advanced and highly acclaimed in 2005, the Northumberland Range won the Shooting Industry Award for best clothing product, and more recently, the Linhope 3-in-1 won the Shooting Industry Award for best clothing product, 2008. More recently James was involved, alongside Vice Chairman Helen Barbour, in designing the new Barbour Sporting collection. In 2016, Barbour won the New Ladies Shooting Product at the Shooting Industry Awards for their Carter Wool jacket.
There are now over 5,000 products across the two seasons, and the collections now cater for men, ladies, children and dogs. Broadening out from its countrywear roots, today the heritage and lifestyle clothing brand produces clothing that is designed for a full lifestyle whether it’s in the city or country. As well as jackets and coats, the Barbour wardrobe includes trousers, shirts, socks, knitwear and a range of accessories.
Nevertheless, in whichever area the company now operates, it remains true to its core values as a family business which espouses the unique values of the British Countryside and brings the qualities of wit, grit and glamour to its beautifully functional clothing.
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