Barbour's designer collabs made the 129-year-old wax jacket cool for Gen Z.

Barbour, the South Shields wax-jacket maker founded in 1894, was a niche heritage brand of farmers and country living, struggling to reach younger buyers.

It began partnering with high-end labels, including Gucci and Copenhagen's Ganni, in a bid to revitalise the 129-year-old brand. The collabs put the wax jacket on fashion runways and gave it cachet with Gen Z.

The strategy worked: sales rose almost 20% to a record £343 million in the year to April 2023, and the brand kept gaining traction among younger shoppers.

It also expanded by licensing: in 2022 ITOCHU acquired the exclusive rights to import and sell Barbour in Japan, targeting £10 billion in retail sales within five years and pushing into the women's market.

Barbour's sales rose almost 20% to a record £343M in the year to April 2023, helped by Gucci and Ganni collabs; ITOCHU's Japan deal targeted ¥10B in five years.

Luxury collaborations gave the heritage jacket instant cool and reach.

Gen Z buyers wanted authentic heritage brands, not just new labels.

The collabs created content and buzz without a big ad spend.

Licensing in Japan let it grow fast without opening its own stores.

An old utilitarian heritage brand can be revitalised by borrowing luxury credibility: collaborations bring a younger audience, and licensing opens fast-growing markets.

Barbour kept growing as a premium heritage brand into the 2020s, deepening international licensing in Asia even as wholesale softened, and it became a reference case for using collaborations to age a brand younger.