Barbour’s back! How quintessentially British brand beloved by royals and celebs alike has seen profits surge in age of fast fashion after ‘Rivals effect’ and designer fashion collaborations

In an era dominated by fast fashion, few brands have managed to achieve lasting success – yet one outerwear label has stood the test of time, and is still going from strength to strength.

Today, it was revealed that Barbour, favoured by both A-listers and royals alike, has seen its annual profits rise by almost a third, reported The Times.

Thanks to the surge in popularity, the family behind the wax jacket maker is to pay itself a £30million dividend after pre-tax profits increased from £36.3million to £45.84million for the year.

Despite being over a century old, the quintessentially British brand and its waterproof coats, worth up to around £300, has enjoyed a resurgence, likely on account of links to Alexa Chung, Disney+’s Rivals and high-end fashion labels.

The fifth-generation family-owned company, based in the North East and founded in 1894, no doubt also has the Royal Family to thank for its success story.

Queen Elizabeth II possessed the brand’s Beaufort coat for more than 25 years and famously declined the label’s offer for an updated version – instead preferring to have her old jacket spruced up instead.

The Princess of Wales, Queen Camilla, Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, Princess Anne and Meghan Markle have also embraced the classic designs in more recent years – while Princes William and Harry even wore Barbour jackets as children. 

But younger customers have likely been attracted to the brand in recent years due to the label’s collaborations with high-end fashion brands such as Scandi label Ganni and Gucci, as well as tie-ups with musicians such as Sam Fender. 

Meanwhile, according to Vogue, demand for Barbour jackets has also been driven by the ‘Jilly Cooper effect’, following the success of the Disney show, Rivals, based on her popular book, which captivated audiences upon its release in October.

While older viewers might’ve cringed at the fashion abominations of the past, demand for 1980s vintage items soared on second-hand websites like Vinted, reported fashion insiders.

Personal stylist Alice Hare told the Mail: ‘It’s part of a wider kickback in fashion against the beige-led, minimalism-obsessed “stealth wealth” look that has for season upon season dominated the catwalks. 

‘The fashion crowd are scrambling to buy vintage Barbours that look like they’ve been in the family for years, layering on top Lady Di-esque brooches and bicycle chain necklaces for that essential touch of excess.

‘A friend messaged me the other day when I sent her a picture of my outfit saying “You look like my mother-in-law in the 80s”. In October 2024, one couldn’t ask for a better compliment.’

Chameleon-like, the British brand has found a niche in every fashion trend the past few decades have thrown at us, all while maintaining its core values.

Lily Allen, Alexa Chung and Sienna Miller made a Barbour jacket the shortcut to the indie aesthetic they spearheaded on the festival circuit in the early noughties. 

Lily James makes hers look effortlessly cool, while Rishi Sunak gave one to President Joe Biden on his official visit to the US in 2023.

Queen Elizabeth II (pictured in 1990) owned the brand’s Beaufort coat for more than 25 years and famously declined the label’s offer for an updated version – instead preferring to have her old jacket spruced up instead

Despite being over a century old, the quintessentially British brand and its waterproof coats, worth up to around £300, has enjoyed a resurgence, likely on account of links to Alexa Chung (pictured), Disney+’s Rivals and high-end fashion labels

According to Vogue, demand for Barbour jackets has also been driven by the ‘Jilly Cooper effect’, following the success of the Disney show, Rivals (pictured), based on her popular book, which captivated audiences upon its release in October

The Princess of Wales has worn four Barbour jackets in recent years, including one in November 2023 from Alexa Chung’s collection with the brand.

Clever collaborations have worked well for Barbour. There have been many, and each picked with a different market in mind.

Spring 2023 saw a venture with the giant of French fashion, Chloé, which again represented a new market – younger, and more eco-conscious.

Another person to thank for the success of the brand is no doubt Alexa Chung, who repurposed the coasts as a fashion item, starting the trend that saw the jackets worn with party ensembles to festivals and in London.

After years of sporting her Beaufort wax jacket, the model and television personality launched a collection with the company.

Having worked with the label several times over the past ten years, her latest collaboration with Barbour was released in September.

Speaking to The Telegraph, Alexa joked that she is in her ‘eccentric aunt era’ – which she said had been conveyed in the 26-piece collection.

Alexa’s ‘edit’ included a dusty blue long-line quilted jacket with a Peter Pan collar, which retails for £249. What’s more, the collection also featured a £130 ruffled shirt, a £350 grey waterproof trench and £299 cable-knit cardigans.

Lily Allen (pictured left), Alexa Chung and Sienna Miller made a Barbour jacket the shortcut to the indie aesthetic they spearheaded on the festival circuit in the early noughties. Pictured right, Gemma Chan is seen on day one of the Glastonbury Festival wearing her Barbour wax jacket on June 23, 2023 in Glastonbury

Lily James makes her Barbour jacket look effortlessly cool as she attends Glastonbury in 2023

The star – who was the collection’s ‘creative director’ – was first pictured wearing the brand in 2008 and revealed that she turned to Barbour because she thought it would be ‘funny’.

She explained: ‘We shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that the original reason I liked Barbour was because I found it funny.

‘I found it ironic to like them because they were the domain of the granny in the country. I thought it was amusing to wear it in London as a young person, and that was the genesis of our relationship.’

Before she was forced to close her eponymous label in 2022, Alexa’s company also collaborated with Barbour on several occasions.

Based in South Shields, where the Beaufort and Bedale wax jackets continue to be made, Barbour began making fishing outfits in the 1890s, then moved into motorcycling gear in the 1930s and suits for submariners during the war.

By the time the Beaufort was launched in 1983, the brand had perfected its waxing technique, which makes its fabric so durable.

The classic Beaufort, which retails for around £200, features a studded collar, allowing for the attachment of a hood, the option of a zip-in fleece lining and a full-width back pocket, as well as two front pockets.

Now, the brand is synonymous with practicality and affordable quality. So much so, that for all the technology available to 007, it was a Barbour jacket James Bond wore to defend his ancestral home in Scotland in 2012’s Skyfall.

Kate owns no less than five styles, including the signature Ladies Waxed Defence Jacket (left) and the Barbour by Alexa Chung Edith Jacket (right)

Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, wore a khaki Barbour jacket to the Royal Windsor Horse Show in 2013

Prince William (left) and Prince Harry (right) were dressed in Barbour jackets as children

‘Barbour’s main source of appeal is its link to tradition’, Dr Benjamin Wild, Senior Lecturer in Fashion Narratives at Manchester Metropolitan University told The Telegraph.  

‘As a family-run company established in the 19th century, with three royal warrants and an enviable list of royal customers, Barbour can be readily associated with the British aristocracy and countryside leisure pursuits.

‘In an increasingly crowded market, Barbour’s pursuit of a product design and philosophy that is straightforward and resolute helps it to cut through the noise of many newer outerwear brands.’

Supermodel Yasmin Le Bon, another collaborator, added: ‘Barbour jackets have always been there in the background, always something you can rely on. I can’t imagine life without one.’

The Barbour family, who are the sole shareholders of the business, will pay itself a final dividend of £30million, recommended for the year to the end of April, according to the latest accounts filed with Companies House.

This marks the first dividend awarded in two years, reported to The Times. The publication said the family credited cost reductions and gains in foreign exchange for its increase in profits.

The family-owned business is led by Chairman, Dame Margaret Barbour, 84, who wed John Barbour, the great-grandson of the brand’s founder in 1964, and her daughter, Helen, who is the Vice Chairman. 

Following John’s sudden death from a brain haemorrhage in 1968 at the age of 29, Dame Margaret stepped into the family business, working closely with his mother, Nancy ‘Granny’ Barbour. 

Charles meets Dame Margaret Barbour as he arrives for a visit to Royal Warrant Holder, J Barbour And Sons Ltd, in South Shields, Tyne and Wear in 2021

Not long after, Queen Elizabeth came to embody the quintessential Barbour style, defined by practicality. 

The late monarch’s choice of Barbour attire was more about understated elegance than a deliberate fashion statement. 

Numerous photos from the 1970s show her at Windsor and Balmoral, wearing various jackets paired with kilts, walking shoes and Hermes headscarves.

The late Queen famously declined to part with her beloved Beaufort coat, despite receiving an offer of a new one.

Margaret once revealed that she offered Elizabeth a new coat, worth around £300, in celebration of her Diamond Jubilee in 2012.

But, instead, the Queen opted for Barbour’s renowned ‘re-waxing service’ to refresh her well-worn favourite. 

‘It’s very desirable to have a very well-worn Barbour jacket,’ Dame Margaret said, admitting that the brand had something of a ‘snob quality’.

Dame Margaret added: ‘[She] wanted her long Barbour jacket re-waxing and we said, “We’d love to do this, Ma’am”, to her secretary, of course.’

Alexa Chung at the launch party for her Barbour collection in London in September 2024

Queen Elizabeth is thought to have owned her Beaufort jacket for more than 25 years. 

Dame Margaret, alongside managing director Steve Buck and her daughter, has kept customers satisfied by updating the classic styles without compromising on quality. 

The waxed jackets are still made in the North East of England, while other products are produced worldwide.

Other notable royal fans include King Charles and the late Princess Diana, who favoured the mid-length Burghley coat in 1985. 

Kate owns no less than five styles, including the signature Ladies Waxed Defence Jacket, which she acquired in 2012, and the Barbour by Alexa Chung Edith Jacket. She has worn the latter on four occasions since debuting the design in 2020.

Crafted from glossy waxed-cotton, it features the brand’s trademark detailing, including a concealed two-way zip fastening, corduroy collar and checked lining. 

In 1974, Barbour was granted its first Royal Warrant by Prince Philip. It received its second from Queen Elizabeth in 1982 and its third from the then Prince Charles in 1987.

In May, the warrant issued by the late Queen Elizabeth – which became void after her death in 2022 – was reinstated by King Charles.