Margaret Barbour took over in 1968 and turned a jacket maker into a global brand

Margaret Barbour took over the Tyne and Wear company in 1968 when her husband John, the fourth generation to run it, died suddenly at 29 from a brain aneurysm. 'It was a crisis in 1968 when my husband died,' she recalled. 'That could have been the end of Barbour as he was an only child.' She described keeping the company going as a mission.

Barbour had made heavy-duty waxed jackets for farmers, fishermen and the military. Margaret modernized the line, designing new models and fabrics alongside the traditional waxed cotton, and pushed the brand into fashion capitals. By 2001 the products were sold in 39 countries and the jackets had become a cult fashion item, helped by royal warrants and later by celebrities at Glastonbury.

The decision was simply to stay and run the business she had inherited. She remained chairman for more than 40 years, and the company marked its 120th anniversary in 2014 as a 'global lifestyle clothing company'. By 2019 the factory was completing about 650 jackets a day, with 14,000 sent back each year for repair.

Barbour went from near the end to a worldwide lifestyle brand sold in 39 countries, with three royal warrants and the fifth generation waiting to take over.

The company would likely have ended: John was an only child and Margaret had no formal business training.

She modernized the waxed-jacket line and aimed at fashion markets instead of only workwear.

Staying family-owned let Barbour build the brand slowly rather than chase quarterly returns.

A sudden leadership vacuum can end a family firm; a family member willing to learn the trade and modernize the product line can carry it forward.

Margaret Barbour was made a dame in the 2002 New Year Honours and received an Outstanding Achievement award in 2014. Her daughter Helen Barbour, the fifth generation, was groomed as vice-chair to succeed her, and Barbour remained family-owned.