Barbour Jackets Make the Perfect Gender-Neutral Holiday Gift

Whereas every product featured is independently chosen by our editors, we might embody paid promotion. In case you purchase one thing by way of our hyperlinks, we might earn fee. Learn extra about our Product Overview Pointers right here.

As a procuring editor who has spent practically 11 years within the business, I am a bit embarrassed to confess I might by no means heard of Barbour earlier than assembly my boyfriend, Nick. I simply all the time thought he appeared actually good in that waxed inexperienced jacket he all the time wore. When his brother began to beg him for a commerce off, I began to do a little analysis and located myself scrolling endlessly on the British model’s website. From menswear to womenswear (and even dog-wear), I needed all the things.

Whereas Barbour is most famously recognized for its legacy in interesting to journey seekers who benefit from the outdoor and need to look polished — significantly within the type of its waxed assortment — the label has expanded to all types of outerwear, footwear, equipment, and attire. And due to its gender-neutral design components, it is actually the good vacation reward.

Barbour jackets are modular, too. You possibly can add or take away lining or a hood relying on the extent of heat you want, they usually even look good layered should you accept a light-weight choice. When Nick and I had the prospect to attempt two new kinds, we settled on the Porton in olive ($540), a chunk from the Barbour x Baracuta collaboration, and the Nora in darkish moss ($350), which is a utility-inspired coat with a cropped, boxy match and D-ring fixture on the chest that particularly appealed to me.

My attraction to the abbreviated size got here as no shock to Barbour’s head of womenswear Nicola Brown, who shared some predictions for 2025: “We anticipate extra of an curiosity towards our cropped up to date kinds just like the Transport and the Spey. Each have ties to our archive primarily based on the design, and the shopper is responding to each the story and the match,” she says. “The longer term for Barbour is thrilling, however on the coronary heart is the model’s heritage which is able to all the time stay on the core of all the things we do.”

Forward, I break down the solutions to some widely-searched questions in relation to these ever-popular Barbour jackets (disgrace on me for being late to the sport), and clarify why I believe one in every of these makes for the proper last-minute vacation reward this season. Your family members will not be disenchanted — they might simply ask why you did not purchase one for your self, too.

Consultants Featured in This Article

Nicola Brown is the pinnacle of womenswear at J Barbour & Sons Ltd.

About Barbour

The Barbour jacket archive dates again to 1910, and the model remains to be pulling references from the originals.
Basic Barbour wax jackets proceed to be manufactured and repaired by hand on the model’s manufacturing facility in Simonside, South Shields.
Barbour has prolonged the DNA of the model to footwear, equipment, and attire (for youths and pets, too!) — all of that are presently resonating nicely with the US market.
Bestselling jackets embody the Basic Beadnell ($398), Beadnell Crop ($420), and Allerston ($500) for ladies and the Bedale ($415) for males, based on Brown.
Barbour has a retail presence in over 55 international locations worldwide, together with the UK, US, France, Italy, and Spain.
Barbour provides a Re-Beloved program in which you’ll be able to recycle your previous jacket at any retailer in change for an $80 voucher.
You possibly can add a hood or liner to most jackets at any cut-off date.

What I Like About Barbour Jackets

My favourite factor about Barbour jackets is simply how versatile they’re. Whenever you consider basic, impartial outerwear, you might not sometimes think about shades of olive and brown, however these coats appear to go along with all the things in our wardrobes — together with black. Due to the standard particulars that comprise a Barbour — from the tartan inside lining to the distinction corduroy collar, and even right down to the belts, shapely zippers, and steel {hardware} – the jacket both provides polish to an in any other case informal outfit or can be utilized for further heat once you’re dressed up for an occasion. Even the looser-fitting designs are characteristically tailor-made to go away an impression or resonate with model devotees. After all, the truth that these coats are modular — and you’ll simply add lining, a hood, or a belt — is an added bonus.

What to Contemplate Earlier than Shopping for a Barbour Jacket

In case you’re buying a Barbour jacket as a luxurious reward for somebody, it is essential to reference the scale information and get their particular measurements, if potential. Whereas my boyfriend is usually an grownup measurement small, he took a medium within the Porton jacket, which he rigorously chosen after utilizing a measuring tape and referencing the chart.

Barbour jackets can’t be machine-washed and must be sponge-cleaned solely — save for the waterproof breathable outerwear, which could be machine- or hand-washed at 30 levels with non-detergent cleaning soap. Cloth softeners will reduce the impact of the water repellent therapy on these jackets, so undoubtedly depart them out of the image. Barbour jackets shouldn’t be dry cleaned because the chemical substances used might trigger everlasting injury or take away the proofing.

Lastly, whereas Barbour jackets are superior layering items, should you actually need to winter-proof the coat, I like to recommend tacking on some further lining and a hood.

In case you merely need to introduce a cherished one to the Barbour model, or cannot afford to splurge on a coat, it’s also possible to begin by gifting them a gender-neutral accent, just like the Merino Cashmere Tartan Scarf or Tartan Walker Umbrella.

Barbour Jacket Designer Collaborations

“Collaborations are a very essential a part of the model as a result of they will appeal to new clients who might not have beforehand thought of Barbour,” Brown explains. It is potential you have been even initially launched to Barbour by way of its very talked-about line with Ganni, which has lasted for 3 seasons. “Collaborations provide a unique tackle Barbour’s heritage and it is all the time fascinating to work with new companions and to see how they interpret our archive . . . Ganni has taken our signature kinds and added their very own twist, whereas nonetheless staying true to the authenticity of each manufacturers,” she says. Different notable collaborations embody Barbour x Baracuta and Barbour x Noah, that are nonetheless shoppable, and earlier partnerships with Alexa Chung, Supreme, and Moncler.

Are Barbour Jackets Waterproof?

Most Barbour jackets are designed to be weatherproof, although there is a particular waterproof class if you wish to be further protected. That being stated, not all Barbour jackets come outfitted with a hood or liner, which provides further safety from the rain or snow. The basic waxed cotton jackets are recognized for repelling water and wind.

Methods to Re-Wax a Barbour Jacket

Barbour provides a particular service to clients that permits them to ship of their jacket to be re-waxed, repaired, or altered at any time for at least $50 — and the model suggests doing this on an annual foundation. You may also buy a small re-wax and smoothing instrument, or any of the model’s waxing kits to DIY small areas of your coat, in addition to equipment.

In case you’re near a retailer location, you possibly can pop in and have the workforce ship your merchandise on to the restore facility, although it’s also possible to ship by mail. Reproofs sometimes take about two weeks from time of cost, whereas repairs and alterations take 4 to eight weeks. Vital to notice: re-waxing your jacket may change the looks of your jacket at first, giving it a darker colour and sheen — however this may change with time.

The place Can You Purchase a Barbour Jacket?

Barbour jackets can be found to buy on the model’s web site and at Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue, Web-a-Porter, Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s, and extra.

Ranking

Barbour Nora Informal Jacket: ★★★★★
Barbour x Baracuta Porton Waxed Harrington Jacket: ★★★★★

Sarah Wasilak (she/her) is the affiliate director of Procuring at PS. With loads of expertise within the commerce market, a eager curiosity in search engine marketing, and 10 years as an editor on the model, she enjoys writing throughout the approach to life and health-and-fitness classes. She has bylines at PS, InStyle, Elle, Refinery29, Who What Put on, Elite Every day, Byrdie, and The High quality Edit and goals to amplify minority voices in all her work.