Introducing: Barbour White Label

A subdivision of the renowned British heritage wear brand that focuses predominantly on influence obtained from evolutionary Japanese street culture and contemporary Tokyo street styling, Barbour White Label arrives as Always in Colour to offer a refreshing take on a number of archive revived field sport silhouettes. Combining artisanal appreciation with a passion for progressive and performative design, Barbour White Label’s youthful guise and time honoured undertone pair well to help interpret classic styling in an all new light.

Founded 125 years after Barbour’s original inception in 1894, 2019 launched Barbour White Label, also known as Made for Japan, is best described as ‘Barbour in its purest form’. Transforming and reinterpreting Barbour’s pre-existing South Shields narrative to better suit the evolutionary necessities of both sprawling cityscapes and less rural settings, Barbour White Label’s sporty and youthful nuance is one that pays homage to designer and former Paul Smith associate Ian Bergin’s visionary aesthetic. Both slim and boxy tailorings help the subdivision subtly deviate from its countryside connotations to better suit its explorative urban underpinning, with a choice use of classic colours, premium fabrics such as Shetland wool and waxed cotton honouring their ode to both minimalism and utilitarian demand.

Supported by their pioneering Dept. B Heritage Line and Duncan Barbour’s 1936 International Collection, with ties to recent collaborations with the likes of Japanese label ‘and wander’, Barbour White Label’s growing collection of reworked cut-and-sew apparel continues to siphon influence not only from the brand’s J. Barbour and Sons archive but also from firm favourite silhouettes made popular by Barbour between the 1930’s and ‘60s. True to the brand’s ‘a jacket for life’ tagline, raglan sleeved and tartan lined jackets such as the Slim Beaufort Jacket and the Slim Bedale Jacket offer their own street-wise revision upon renowned Barbour classics, whilst the waxed plaid Slim Bedale Blackwatch Jacket addresses contemporary workwear trends in its own unique manner. For admirers of hooded variants over Barbour’s traditional corduroy fold-down collar, designs such as the Slim Bedale Hooded Wax Jacket and the ¼ zip fastened Wax Camo Smock make for easy all setting styling regardless of the assigned season.

With contemporary Japanese streetwear originally hailing from military influence, presented during the ‘40s through the arrival of Westernised records, magazines and classic denim wear culture, Barbour White Label finds itself neatly placed within its cross-section. Archived staples from Barbour’s Barbour International subdivision such as the A1 suit and International Jacket has become a favourite of many across both the East and West markets, whilst Barbour White Label’s metamorphosed militant aesthetic keeps its Made for Japan association a statement that remains true to its cause.

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