Discover Barbour by Alexa Chung
A new collaboration with heritage brand Barbour takes Alexa Chung back to her roots
Most of us associate Alexa Chung with being the epitome of an “It” girl. First cropping up on our radars on the heady festival circuits of the late noughties, she’s become a bona fide icon of modern-day pop culture. Now, Chung is rewinding the clock to way before all of that, harking back to her upbringing by releasing a capsule collection with lifestyle brand Barbour. “For me, Barbour was part of my childhood… The smell of the wax alone makes me feel like I’m home,” says Chung.
From wearing the brand as a child growing up in Hampshire to sheltering from the rain at Glastonbury festival in one of their trusty jackets, the relationship between Chung and Barbour runs deep. The designs in this collaboration are timeless yet energized with a twist. The iconic khaki-green waxed cotton is spiked with bright orange in a collection of outerwear and accessories, including three tote bags and a cheerful bucket hat.
Fashion isn’t always practical, but that’s exactly what Barbour sought to achieve with this collaboration. With these highly functional yet stylized designs, the brand gives the archive looks a new lease of life for the next generation of Barbour wearers. It’s no mean feat, yet each piece manages the tricky combination of tradition, craftsmanship and modernity, from the traditional Edith waxed jacket to the jaunty lace-up Pip jacket.
“For me, Barbour was part of my childhood… The smell of the wax alone makes me feel like I’m home
”Alexa Chung
In putting the capsule collection together, Chung visited the brand’s archive in South Shields in England several times to check the historical inspiration of the pieces. Tweaks were then made here and there to the original designs. For example, the Edith has an ever-so-slightly smaller corduroy collar compared with the original, and interesting details have been added to all pieces to emphasize their uniqueness. The Pip jacket, designed for all weathers of the great outdoors, boasts a wide range of fixings and fastenings – and even a map pocket – but most notably comes in a striking bright orange hue. The Barbour Patch jacket features the most recognizable Barbour details, but in a reinvented darker spectrum of colors and a tartan lining.
You can’t help but feel nostalgic looking at this capsule collection. It leaves you longing to layer up, head outdoors and breathe in fresh country air. Chung has been reminded of the beauty of the great British countryside – rain and all – and Barbour has brought it to the forefront of everyone’s minds.