As we reported a few weeks back, up-cycling is fast becoming the coolest aspect of the sustainable fashion movement. As further proof, today Barbour launches Re-Loved, a limited collection of refurbished wax jackets that were returned to the factory by clients that no longer needed them. The reason Barbours have come to be such a pillar of British style is that they last forever and only improve with age, so the collection not only allows you to do something good for the environment, but it gives you a fast track to tumble-down, bucolic chic.
“Every year around 60,000 Barbour wax jackets are returned to our Rewaxing and Repairs Service globally and roughly half of these come back to South Shields,” Ian Bergin, Barbour’s director of menswear, footwear and accessories, tells Esquire. “Our customers rely on our products lasting for a long time and we regularly receive jackets in our repairs centre that have been well used for 30, 40 or even 50 years.”
The collection is separated into three categories: Classic, Supa and Collectible. The Classics are simply refurbished to their original status, while the Supas feature a contrasting, patchwork detailing (which is totally mega, and the thing we love most about this whole project) and the Collectibles are those vintage pieces – over 30 years old – with Royal Warrants.
“Our skilled technicians evaluate the jackets before carefully attending to any repairs that need to be made – where necessary, patches are added, zips are replaced and linings are restored,” says Bergin. “In our factory we have an archive that is filled with fabric and hardware samples that go back over the decades so we’re able to closely or even directly match what would have been on the jacket originally.”
The collection is on sale at Selfridges as part of the store’s new sustainability initiative, Project Earth. The project also heralds the launch of a Prada pop-up in the store’s Corner Shop space. It features Re-Nylon, the Italian brand’s sustainable line launched last year, and offer a retail experience that is both “immersive” and “absolute”, which sounds pretty far out. Beyond the recycled nylon product, the space features screenings of National Geographic films, ‘video wallpaper’ and demonstrations of the depolymerization and repolymerization processes the nylon goes through.
So there you have it; come for the heritage outerwear, stay for the futuristic fashion.
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