How Barbour is reinventing its legacy in Asia

“The biggest misconception Chinese consumers have about Barbour is that they see us simply as a British countrywear jacket brand,” Neil Parker, Barbour’s managing director, global distributors, told Jing Daily. That perception has its roots in the brand’s history. John Barbour founded the company in 1894 in South Shields, a port town in northeast England, where he supplied oilskins and other protective clothing to sailors and fishermen working in harsh weather. The waxed jacket, prized for its durability and its resistance to wind and rain, gradually became one of Barbour’s most recognizable products and cemented the brand’s ties to British country life and outdoor culture. Over time, function and a distinctly British look became the defining qualities of a brand with more than 130 years of history. Barbour has held royal warrants for decades, and King Charles III renewed its warrant in 2024, naming the company a manufacturer of outerwear, clothing, footwear and accessories to the royal household. That patronage gave Barbour a cultural standing that made it shorthand for classic British style and a particular way of life. Lifestyle brand push extends beyond the waxed jacket Barbour no longer wants to be defined by a single jacket. Having built its reputation largely on waxed outerwear, the brand is now working to broaden its appeal. In recent years, womenswear and accessories have opened new ways for consumers to discover Barbour, as has a wider range of lifestyle products. Collaborations and a fuller calendar of immersive events have also helped carry the brand beyond its outdoor roots and into everyday city life, including commuting and travel. Heritage still anchors the shift. Waxed jackets, signature tartans, craftsmanship and functionality remain central to Barbour’s identity, and the brand is reinterpreting them through new products and new ways of engaging consumers in everyday settings. Asia has become one of the most important markets for testing this approach. Asia is now one of Barbour’s fastest-growing regions, Parker said. When he joined the company in late 2023, Barbour had six stores in China. It expects to have 58 by the end of 2026. Behind that expansion is Barbour’s sustained investment in local markets and its close work with D-mop, the Hong Kong-based fashion retailer that partners with the label in China. “The brand places great importance on regional market feedback,” said Kelly Wong, senior vice president of D-mop. “Chinese consumers have different preferences from those in Japan and South Korea when it comes to garment length, fabrics and styling. Our design team visits China to study local trends and works with the buying team to develop fits better suited to the Chinese market.” Immersive pop-ups and festivals anchor Barbour’s Asia fashion marketing Localization extends beyond products. In March, Barbour staged what it described as its first large-scale immersive pop-up in Asia, “Spring with Barbour,” at Shanghai’s West Bund Dream Center. Built around spring outdoor pursuits and the brand’s Icons collection, the event was divided into eight themed zones, among them camping, fishing, horse riding and birdwatching, along with a cycling challenge run with Brompton and a driving experience run with Land Rover. Barbour’s Dress Tartan ran through the site, down to the fish-and-chips van, and a live band played. The event drew more than 13,000 visitors and more than 1.5 billion social media impressions, according to Retail Asia, and won three China awards at the Retail Asia Awards 2026 in June: Experiential Marketing Project of the Year, Marketing Initiative of the Year and Marketing Team of the Year. In July, Barbour made its first appearance at Japan’s Fuji Rock Festival. Its booth lent Wellington boots free of charge to visitors who followed Barbour on Instagram and registered a name and phone number. It also sold a T-shirt and a sacoche, a small crossbody bag, both printed with a Barbour design by Asuka Watanabe, the artist behind the festival’s main visuals. Both items were also stocked in Barbour’s own stores across Japan. The booth gave festivalgoers a chance to test the brand’s functionality for themselves. After all, at a rain-soaked, muddy music festival, a pair of wellington boots makes the most convincing case for itself. More recently, Barbour opened a flagship at Shanghai’s HKRI Taikoo Hui. The store takes the compass as its design motif and pairs archival pieces with displays of newer unwaxed jackets and knitwear. To mark the opening, Barbour released three Shanghai-only unwaxed jackets and set up a MyBarbour station where shoppers can heat-print classic Barbour motifs onto the brand’s green square scarf. The brand has also launched a store on Douyin. Taken together, these moves point to Barbour building a fuller presence across Asia, with products, design, events and stores shaped for local markets. That raises the question at the center of this interview: As Asia becomes a key growth market, how can a 132-year-old British brand evolve without being held back by its past — or losing what makes it distinctive? Jing Daily spoke with Parker about how Barbour adapts the brand for China, Japan and South Korea, and where it expects its next phase of growth to come from while staying true to its roots. Jing Daily: For younger consumers discovering Barbour for the first time, what is the most important thing you want them to understand about the brand? Neil Parker: Above all, I want them to understand that Barbour is more than a jacket. It represents over 130 years of heritage, craftsmanship and authenticity, as well as a lifestyle rooted in outdoor exploration, self-expression and lasting companionship. In the past, most people discovered Barbour through its iconic waxed jackets. While they remain central to our identity, Barbour is now evolving into a broader lifestyle brand. JD: Womenswear and accessories have become important growth drivers for Barbour in recent years. What has fueled their growth? NP: There are two main factors. First, we have broadened our product offering beyond traditional outerwear to include womenswear, knitwear, quilted jackets, casualwear and accessories, catering to a wider range of everyday needs and occasions. Second, this expansion has given consumers more choice across different price points, allowing them to find products that suit their needs and budgets. In Asia, we also have a dedicated design team that continually adapts our products to local preferences in fit, fabric and silhouette. This has further supported growth across these categories. JD: What gives Barbour its strongest competitive advantage in Asia compared with other markets? NP: Part of it comes from Barbour’s authenticity, heritage and brand story. The other part comes from our understanding of local markets and our willingness to invest in them. Asia is now one of Barbour’s fastest-growing regions, and we have committed significant resources to building local teams and partnerships. We have an office in Hong Kong and an experienced regional marketing team that drives many of our local decisions. I have always believed that genuine market insights come from the people on the ground, not from our headquarters in the UK. Only by working closely with local partners and truly understanding consumers can we ensure that Barbour’s global brand assets remain relevant across different markets. JD: Consumers in China, Japan and South Korea have discovered Barbour in different ways. How do they differ, and how does that shape your product and marketing in each market? NP: These differences largely reflect the cultural context of each market. We conduct consumer research twice a year, surveying thousands of people, which gives us a clear picture of how these markets differ. For us, it is not simply about economic differences, but more importantly, how the brand connects with local culture. In China, consumers still primarily associate Barbour with its classic waxed jackets. We also position our stores in premium retail destinations to connect the brand with a more elevated shopping environment. In Japan, the brand has developed more through urban styling and collaborations. Consumers discover Barbour through music, fashion culture and various collaborative collections. Japan’s established vintage market also works naturally in our favor. Barbour jackets are known for their durability, and many remain in circulation on the secondhand market even after 30 or 40 years. That enduring value adds to the brand’s appeal in Japan. South Korea, meanwhile, is more driven by contemporary styling and trends. Consumers are highly attuned to how products are styled and their fashion appeal, while social media plays a powerful role in amplifying the brand’s visibility. We therefore work closely with our local team to respond more quickly to shifts in the market. Ultimately, the same Barbour brand needs different entry points to connect with consumers across Asia. Our job is to find the right way to communicate in each market while keeping the brand’s core identity intact. JD: What kind of brand do you ultimately want Barbour to become? NP: We want Barbour to be a premium brand with a distinctive identity. Our ambition is not to become the biggest brand in Asia, but to be one of the best. That means focusing less on scale and more on how we can continue to adapt to different markets and consumer lifestyles without compromising our authenticity and heritage. Ultimately, we want Barbour to remain distinctive rather than become a brand that tries to appeal to everyone. We want to keep evolving without changing who we are at our core. JD: More brands now describe themselves as “lifestyle brands,” and Barbour has set its sights on becoming a global one. What does that ambition mean for Barbour, and how will its lifestyle positioning differ from other brands’? NP: Over the next three to five years, our goal is to establish Barbour as a truly global lifestyle brand, with Asia playing a particularly important role in our growth. For us, this is about more than entering new markets. It means maintaining a clear brand identity across different regions while becoming a genuine part of local consumers’ lives. Our strength lies in adapting to different markets without losing what makes Barbour distinctive. That means preserving our signature tartan, craftsmanship and heritage, while connecting with consumers through a broader product offering, sustainability initiatives and locally relevant ways of expressing the brand. For a long time, Barbour had a relatively small presence in Asia, but that is changing. We have entered Thailand and are continuing to expand into markets such as Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines. The transformation in China has been particularly striking. When I joined three years ago, Barbour had just six stores in China. By the end of this year, we expect to have 58. We want Barbour to resonate with consumers in Shanghai and Beijing, just as it can find its place in Bangkok, Paris or Santiago. JD: What will Barbour prioritize in the coming years to accelerate its transition into a global lifestyle brand? NP: We will focus on three priorities. First, expanding our product offering, but not simply for the sake of adding more categories. Womenswear will be an important growth area, and we will continue to broaden our range. But whatever we introduce must retain Barbour’s distinctive design language and brand identity. We will also continue to pursue global and local collaborations. In China especially, these partnerships need to bring something genuinely fresh, rather than collaborating simply for the sake of it. Second, building deeper emotional connections with consumers. For younger generations, immersive experiences, digital storytelling and real-life product experiences will become increasingly important. We want people not only to buy Barbour, but to wear it in their everyday lives and build lasting memories around it. Third, becoming part of more aspects of everyday life. Our ambition is for Barbour to become a collection of enduring wardrobe staples that accompany consumers through travel, commuting and daily routines. Of course, financial performance will matter. But the real measure of whether this transformation succeeds is whether consumers continue to choose Barbour over time. And we are only just getting started.

Sectors

Insights

Company

How Barbour is reinventing its legacy in Asia