Barbour Jackets: Waxed Cotton Made for South Shields Sailors

Barbour did not begin as a country house label. In 1894 a Scotsman named John Barbour set up in the Market Place in South Shields, in the North East of England, selling oilskins to the sailors, fishermen and mariners who spent their days in the worst of the British weather. The company is still family owned, now on its fifth generation, and it still makes the Bedale and Beaufort wax jackets by hand in South Shields.

I like knowing that, because it explains why these jackets look better scuffed. The Icons Bedale corduroy-trimmed jacket is the one I would try first, short and square and built to layer. The Beadnell has a slightly softer, roomier cut, and the Liza adds a hood for the days when an umbrella feels like too much.

Not every Barbour has to be waxed. The Treeton and the Mackworth are cotton jackets with the same corduroy collar, lighter and easier on a dry autumn day when full wax would feel like overkill. The checked Beadnell brings a bit of pattern without changing the familiar shape.

This is where the brand's working roots still show. The pockets are deep, the shapes are plain, and nothing is there just for decoration. Pick the weight that matches the weather you actually get, not the one in the catalogue photos.

Barbour has been re-waxing and repairing its own jackets since at least 1921, and that tells you how the company expects you to treat them. These are not coats to keep pristine. Buy the one that fits over your thickest everyday sweater, because a jacket that only works over a thin shirt will spend the winter on a hook. I would start with a classic waxed shape like the Bedale or Beadnell before anything trendier, and skip the matching heritage accessories entirely. Wear it with jeans and an old knit, let the wax crease and fade, and send it back for a re-wax when it needs one. It should look like yours, not like the shop's. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together Barbour Jacket.