Barbour Jackets as Beachwear? Pure Noah
Noah founder Brendon Babenzien is a well-documented Barbour jacket enthusiast — hence the huge array of Barbour x Noah collaborations that are regularly released. And his love for the brand’s classic rugged outerwear means wanting to wear it year-round.
“For us, Barbour has always been a brand we’ve loved. It’s been part of the landscape for as long as I can remember — a staple in the best possible way. It endures because it’s so good,” says Babenzien in a statement.
“However, because of the brand’s historical roots, particularly with its waxed jackets, Barbour tends to be associated with colder, wetter months. We wanted to find a way to extend that year-round love affair with Barbour, even into the warmer seasons.”
For Noah’s latest Barbour collaboration, Babenzien draws inspiration from the Northeast American coastline: pastel hues are meant to provide a “beach hut feel” while its dry cloth fabrics are lighter and more versatile in the summer than Barbour’s usual heavy materials.
Sure, this isn’t your typical range of skin-bearing beachwear but it is a more seaside-appropriate take on Barbour’s hard-wearing outerwear.
Barbour’s Spey Jacket, originally designed for waist-deep wading when fishing, and its classic Bedale model, first imagined for horseback riding, are reimagined in more lightweight fabrics. And on the latter outerwear model, a tartan pink Madras fabric emerges, a stark contrast to the typically muted colors found on a Bedale jacket.
Arriving alongside graphic tops honoring the Northeast American coastline, the latest Barbour x Noah collection will be released on February 27.
After transforming Barbour jackets through fuzzy yellow fabric at the tail end of last year, Noah’s sixth collection of reworked Barbour classics is equally colorful but decisively less cozy.