Barbour Brings 130-Year Heritage to the Forefront With Latest Collection
Menswear director Ian Bergin discusses the brand and its evolution exclusively with Hypebeast.
As Barbour celebrates its 130th anniversary this year, the British lifestyle brand delves into its archive to reimagine some of its most iconic fabrics, silhouettes, and garment compositions through the latest Heritage+ collection. To commemorate its release, Hypebeast caught up with its director of menswear, Ian Bergin to discuss the new range as well as the brand’s future evolution.
Founded in the North East in 1894, its outerwear pieces became synonymous with the outdoors for their durability, functionality, and affordability. Widely revered for wax jackets, in 2021 it celebrated 100 years of the re-waxing service that keeps your jacket fresher for longer — providing a sustainable circular process for its customers.
Growing up in Manchester, Bergin naturally built an affinity for style. Having started his fashion career at Paul Smith, he launched his business building and consulting for brands at the turn of the millennium. “I began to travel to Asia, especially Japan, and my experience and love of design, products, craftsmanship, and factories blossomed,” he explains how his passion for the industry was piqued.
“We are not a fashion brand, we are a brand that’s in fashion.”
A mainstay in British fashion, Bergin joined the Barbour team 13 years ago. Both its long-standing history, innovative garment-making processes, and personal relationship with the label are what attracted him to the position. “It’s the way wax molds to your frame, the way the oil dries out in the fabric gives it its patina,” he says, talking about the various pieces he’s owned over the years. “Then it’s about all the places and people you have met and the experiences you have had in your jacket. It becomes a trusted piece in your wardrobe.”
“We are not a fashion brand, we are a brand that’s in fashion,” he exclaims when referencing the brand’s presence in the industry. “We have a design language, married to usefulness and a pragmatic approach to how a garment should function. That’s at the heart of our brand.” It’s Barbour’s self-belief and ability not to deviate from its position merged with a century-old proven track record that makes it something truly special in the fashion landscape.
Whether adorned by countryside hikers or city dwellers, Barbour’s versatile pieces morph into their surroundings — meaning different things to different people with different uses. This is actualized through its wide range of collaborators — from C.P. Company and Palace to Baracuta and GANNI — which shows how its blank canvas can fit seamlessly into contemporary fashion. “Collaborations are a great way to learn,” he says. “[It] shines a different light on our brand or view it through another lens — it’s the juxtaposition which is intriguing.”
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Relaunching old designs isn’t what the brand’s Heritage+ collection is. Rather, visiting the archives to cherry-pick the best of its past and how it translates to today’s consumer. “We can’t produce archive designs as, in a way, that would be just producing costume,” Bergin explains. “Some of our older designs are beautiful but not particularly relevant like a Wildfowling heavy smock from the 1930s, day to day it’s pretty unwearable. But we can look at details and keep the pragmatic no-nonsense construction at the top of our mind when we develop new products.”
Hypebeast: How did the Barbour role come about? And what attracted you to the brand?
Ian Bergin: Barbour was looking for the right person to broaden their product range from outerwear to clothing as well as building footwear and accessories. It was part of a desire to sell products all year around, globally, not just restricted to the Northern Hemisphere. I was a big fan of the brand, and as with many customers, loved my Barbour, the rock-solid construction, the practicality, and that refined and understated “don’t try too hard” style.
How did you translate that love into your designs?
Our products are often referred to as “iconic.” That’s a powerful word, but not inaccurate regarding our core products. They have evolved from the need to protect the workers of the North East industries at the turn of the century. We became experts over 100 years of providing the best products and the best value which, combined, actually leads to a very lean, intelligent design signature in the way we listen to our consumers and refine our products over time.
The love for the products that I felt is that excellence in fit-for-purpose design married with a rugged no-nonsense construction. It’s ensuring we keep to those principles in what we design which will preserve the character of our brand and secure its continued longevity.
In what ways have you tapped into Barbour’s legacy for the Heritage+ collection?
Personally, I feel fit and styling are very important in Heritage+. This is literally our heritage in wax, box quilt, cord, oversized metal trims, tartan, and industrial construction but spun on a modern take on fit and how consumers wear clothing to express themselves. Mining design details from our past, but also intelligent workwear features, executing them in our known substrates, and then styling them in a very contemporary way is our approach in a nutshell. It’s what we are known for but with a strong directional element.
“Reusing garments and mixing them with fewer new pieces will be a strong movement that grows over the next two decades. Having a more sustainable approach, getting value from products, and investing in pieces that last.”
What design features from the archives have you incorporated into the collection?
Within the Heritage+ collection, we have taken the fuller shapes of some of our archive riding garments with expandable areas to accommodate equestrian use and incorporated these into the silhouettes of our wax offer. Mixing this with drawcord military waist adjustment provides a full shape that you can adjust, pull in, and style in a modern way in our 8oz Oban wax with tartan lining and heavy metalware – it’s the epitome of Barbour but with a wearable twist.
What are the stand-out pieces from the range?
SS24 features multi-pocket lightweight utility vests such as the Transporter Gilet, oversized casual jackets such as the Faulkner Overshirt, and the Deck Jacket in our signature wax. AW24 features A-line riding waxes, vertical quilting (from our archive submarine suits), rich moss stitch knits, and fleece quilt combo garments based on oversized interpretations of our early liners.
What does the future of fashion look like? And where do you see Barbour evolving to fit?
That’s such a big question. I feel consumers will want a mixture of new and old. I think reusing garments and mixing them with fewer new pieces will be a strong movement that grows over the next two decades. Having a more sustainable approach, getting value from products, and investing in pieces that last, which complement your values and look better with age suits Barbour very well. Remodel, repurpose and complement with purchases from brands that have a point of view and expertise to back it up.
For more information and to shop Barbour’s full Heritage+ collection, visit the brand’s website.
