The Barbour quilted jacket has gone through somewhat of a resurgence over the past 5 years or so. The quilted design has now been copied so many times by competitors but never bettered that it begs the question as to why it has became so commonplace on the high street.

History Of The Liddesdale Jacket
First of all we must look at the history of the Barbour quilted jacket. We must go back in time to 1979 to first see the phenomenon that has become the Liddesdale jacket.  Back then it was called the Countryman jacket. Popular initially with country living folk, the Countryman finally underwent a name change in 1994 in honour of the Liddesdale Valley in the Scottish borders. The Liddesdale is the original diamond quilted nylon jacket and is finished off with two large front pockets and a corduroy collar.  It was and still is a jacket which is ideal for layering up over a suit or knitwear due to it’s larger sizing than other quilted jackets produced recently.

Popularity Over The Past 5 Years
As ever with fashion, once a few celebrities are snapped wearing an item, the effect can be like a snowball rolling.  Events such as Glastonbury have performed wonders for the brands image with musicians and the rich and famous pictured wearing Barbour’s waxed and quilted jackets normally combined with Hunter or Barbour wellies. Barbour’s popularity over the past 5 years has risen at such a rate that they have been able to expand their range of quilted jackets as well as their Heritage pieces.  As they produced more pieces, celebrities had more to choose from and independant fashion retailers wanted more to keep up with demand. Barbour have three Royal Warrants to supply waterproof and outdoor clothing to the Royal Family. The popularity of the younger Royal’s such as Kate Middleton has done wonders for the brand recently also as she has often been pictured wearing a waxed Barbour on the grounds of her residence.

Celebrities Wearing Barbour
It is not difficult to write a list of notable celebrities that have been spotted wearing Barbour jackets. The likes of Daniel Craig (in Skyfall) Lily Allen, Holly Willoughby, Steve Jones, Jack Black, Tynchy Stryder and Peter Kay have all been spotted adorning what can be classed as a piece of luxury.

2013 Barbour Quilted Jackets
Although the Liddesdale is the most recognisable and mass produced Barbour quilt, the brand have produced a vast range of styles over the past few years to stay ahead of a market that has been somewhat saturated with cheaper lookalikes. This season sees the introduction of the Barbour Tankerville jacket and the Barbour Bowmore jacket, both diamond quilted jackets from the Barbour International motorcycle range.

The Barbour Tankerville jacket is a longer length motorcycle jacket which comes accompanied by a collar strap detail. A full zip up closure with press stud fastening wind flap will keep the cold at bay and is finished with iconic Barbour International branding to the front.

The Barbour Bowmore jacket is a slightly different take on the motorcycle jacket. This three pocket lightweight jacket is a totally different cut. The iconic oversized zip pull is really noticeable on this full zip up fastening jacket, again finished with Barbour International branding. Elasticated cuffs and a high standing collar are two differences to the Tankerville which add a different dimension to this piece.

What Is The Future Of The Barbour Quilt?
So how long will this resurgence last? It is true that all trends have a limited shelf life. However what is interesting about the Barbour quilt is that this trend has been around once before and it almost certain to resurface again at some point in the future when this current cycle has reached its peak.  The Liddesdale has not changed much in over 30 years and this timeless classic will probably be around for decades to come.  For the time being, the demand for Barbour is still at such a level that it’s place in designer menswear boutiques has been cemented for the immediate future.