Barbour

In 1894, J. Barbour & Sons started selling outerwear made of oilcloth, a water-repellent material composed of repurposed linen sailcloth treated with linseed oil. Due to some undesirable physical properties, the original materials were updated with tightly woven cotton and paraffin wax, yielding the waxed cotton jackets that Barbour has been known for since the 1940s. Successful forays into motorcyclist and submariner apparel fell to the wayside when Her Majesty the Queen, His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh, and His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales granted Barbour three Royal Warrants, decisively aligning the company with a resurgent British narrative of country life and sport. The versatility and enduring quality of Barbour's signature details—corduroy collars, tartan cotton twill lining, and signature Sylkoil waxed cotton—continue to resonate today. Garments are carefully assembled in South Shields, England, where the River Tyne spills into the North Sea: a location evoking the seafaring roots from which Barbour's legendary protective clothing began.