Leave the tea to brew, get that pie between a barm, and thicken the gravy because this is the kind of proud-to-be-British news we can fully get behind.
Some partnerships between brands just make complete sense, it seems like one has the exact piece that the other is missing – the annoying thing is that all too often these partnerships are one-off affairs.
But sometimes, the outerwear gods shine down on us simple folk, and bless us with fantastic repeat collaborations, and we were very relieved when we recently heard that last years Barbour and Baracuta collaboration was no flash in the pan.
The inaugural collaboration between the pair happened in 2023 and treated our eyes to an embargo of beautiful tartan-lined and wax-coated pieces of outerwear. For that collaboration, the duo had the central theme of ‘Ivy League Style’ running through it, and while that was very good, dare we say their latest work utilizes a theme that resonates even more with us.
For AW24 Baracuta and Barbour have drawn inspiration from Northern British subcultures that would’ve sported Baracuta jackets in the 1950s, 60s and 70s, and given that the biggest piece of outerwear is named ‘The Mods Casual Parka,’ you can safely assume that they’ve been influenced by those that were big into consuming gravy, listening to The Who and riding Vespa’s.
But interestingly the mod subculture is not the only one that the duo have taken inspiration from, as they have also taken design cues from garb atypical of the teddy boys, rude boys and football casual subcultures. The result of this is a collaboration that truly celebrates the North, specifically the areas of Manchester & South Shields, the birthplaces of Baracuta and Barbour, respectively, which we’re assuming is why the collaboration has been titled ‘The Only Way Is North.’
As you’d expect from the two heritage brands, a healthy array of British weather-ready outerwear is on offer, blending both of their signature design features to reimagine archival cult classic silhouettes. Barbour’s famous Bedale jacket, which was first designed in 1980 with horse riding in mind, has been reworked with Baracuta’s distinct dog ear collar. Similarly, Baracuta’s G9 Harrington jacket has been reimagined through Barbour’s signature wax cotton, enhanced with brass metalwork and a two-way ring pull zip.
Getting onto that aforementioned Mod Parka – the jacket combines military influences with Baracuta’s classic umbrella back yoke, which is a feature of a jacket and has nothing to do with eggs. Other than being a mega piece of outerwear, the Mod Parka utilizes a toggle drawstring waist, a massive hood and a longline silhouette – a feature to stop mods from spraying road debris up their backside when doing 26mph on their mopeds.
Outside of jackets the collaboration also offers a host of knitwear, a handful of headwear and a Britpop-influenced Henley T-Shirt. The focal point of both brands’ work is the blending of their signature tartan patterns, everything about this sort of sounds like it shouldn’t work – but it does.
Just when you thought the collaboration couldn’t get any more Northern, it has also been shot in the Northern Quarter on presenter, model and local Driffield ambassador, Danny Lomas. Danny who has very publicly declared his love for British style, especially that worn by mods, has been shot against the industrial backdrop of Manchester’s streets in a way that draws inspiration from English Artist L.S. Lowry’s iconic painting style, you know, matchstick men and that.
We’re a huge fan of this partnership and it’s certainly becoming a high point when it comes to the offerings of British brands throughout the year, our only hope is that the collaboration continues long into the future.
The collection is set to release on the 18th of October from Barbour and Baracuta as well as through selected retailers.
