Barbour

A family-owned British clothing company based in South Shields, famous for waxed cotton jackets made by hand at its factory since 1981.

About Barbour

Barbour is a British clothing company best known for waxed cotton jackets, which have long been a staple of country life. It also makes quilted jackets, knitwear, shirts, footwear, accessories and clothing for children and dogs. Its brands include Barbour and Barbour International, the latter linked with motorcycling. It operates 30 or more shops of its own and sells in over 55 countries, according to the sources we read.

John Barbour, a Scotsman, founded the company in 1894 in Market Place, South Shields, selling oilskins for sailors, fishermen and mariners. It has stayed in the family ever since. Malcolm Barbour started the first mail-order catalogue in 1908, and Duncan Barbour created the International motorcycling suit in 1936. Dame Margaret Barbour became chairman in 1973 and designed the Bedale (1980) and Beaufort (1983) jackets; her daughter Helen Barbour is vice chair and the fifth generation. The company's history says its clothes draw on British countryside values. We found no formal mission statement.

Barbour's headquarters and factory have been at Simonside in South Shields, Tyne and Wear, since 1981. The Bedale and Beaufort wax jackets are still made by hand there. Customers can send jackets back to the factory for rewaxing and repairs, which the company says now covers over 60,000 jackets a year. Its Wax for Life service launched in 2020, Barbour Re-Loved takes back old jackets to be cleaned, repaired and resold, and Quilt for Life launched in 2024. The company also runs its own shops across the UK.

The company's culture reflects family ownership and a strong link to the North East. The Barbour Foundation, founded in 1988 as the Barbour Trust, supports charities mostly in the North East; in 2025 it gave £100,000 towards repairing the Herd Groyne lighthouse in South Shields. Barbour also gave £50,000 in match funding to a National Trust tree-planting appeal. The company holds royal warrants from the late Duke of Edinburgh, Queen Elizabeth II and King Charles III. Stephen Buck is managing director. These details are from the company and from Wikipedia.

A company that makes and repairs clothing in its home town offers a wide variety of jobs: machinists, waxers and finishers on the factory floor, repair specialists, designers and pattern cutters, buyers and merchandisers, warehouse and logistics teams, shop staff and people in e-commerce, marketing and finance. If you like practical, hands-on work and live in or near the North East, it is a major local employer. The company's website lists current roles.

What they do

• {'desc': 'Bedale, Beaufort and other jackets, made by hand in South Shields.', 'title': 'Waxed jackets'}
• {'desc': 'Wax for Life, Re-Loved and Quilt for Life services that extend the life of jackets.', 'title': 'Repair and rewax services'}
• {'desc': 'Quilted jackets, knitwear, shoes and items for children and dogs.', 'title': 'Clothing, footwear and accessories'}

Key facts

• Founded in 1894 in South Shields by John Barbour
• Headquarters and factory at Simonside, South Shields, since 1981
• Family-owned, now in its fifth generation; Dame Margaret Barbour chairman since 1973
• Rewaxes over 60,000 jackets a year

Website: www.barbour.com