Barbour To Offer Jacket Rental Service At Glastonbury 2024

The wax Barbour jacket has long been a staple of the Glastonbury wardrobe. Over the years, all the trendiest British celebrities have been spotted donning one for the world-famous festival – from Alexa Chung to Sienna Miller to Dominic Cooper. And now, for the first time ever, the heritage brand will be offering a rental service at the festival.

Barbour x Glastonbury: New Festival Rental Scheme

Barbour has partnered with Oxfam to launch the service, which will offer guests the chance to rent a pre-loved jacket for the full festival weekend. You’ll be able to pick it up at one of the Oxfam stores on-site for a cost of £45, with all proceeds going towards the charity, which is working to end poverty.

All the jackets will have been cleaned, repaired and rewaxed by the Barbour team at the brand’s South Shields HQ. Many will feature upcycled and reused fabrics from past Glastonbury merchandise, adding fun new twists to the classic pieces, with a range of styles and sizes on offer. Bucket hats, another festival favourite, will also be available to buy for £39. 

‘At the heart of the Barbour brand, the cotton waxed jacket is a long-living investment piece that, like a fine wine, improves with age,’ says Tom Birkbeck, Product Development and Menswear Buyer at The House of Bruar, which sells Barbour jackets. ‘Whether worn for country sports, urban adventures or festival chic, owning a Barbour waxed jacket is to hold a little piece of UK textile history in your hands.’

Paul Wilkinson, Group Commercial Director at Barbour, said: ‘We are delighted to be working with Oxfam at the Glastonbury Festival on this exciting initiative. A key part of circularity is to keep products in use longer, thereby reducing impact per wear and the need for new resources. 

‘We believe that this rental scheme provides a very affordable and accessible service, enabling customers to easily rent jackets at the festival should the weather be inclement or they just need a coat for chilly evenings. With all proceeds going to Oxfam, it means that customers can rent their jackets knowing that they are supporting this very worthy charitable cause.’

Barbour Re-Loved is a circularity initiative launched in 2019, with the aim of extending the life of the Barbour wax jackets. The service allows shoppers to return their Barbour jackets once they no longer need them, in exchange for a voucher. They are then repaired and re-waxed, ready to find a new home.

Barbour’s wax jacket is one of the most quintessentially British pieces of clothing out there. It’s the brand’s signature product, first produced back in the 1920s – originally worn solely for countryside pursuits, like hunting and fishing. But over time, the jacket became a fashion piece – helped by a young Princess Diana, who popularised it back in the 1980s. It went on to become the unofficial uniform for Glastonbury, and interest surrounding the coat shows no sign of slowing: last year Lily James, Gemma Chan and Billie Piper were all spotted wearing one at the festival.

Which Barbour Jacket To Choose

Wondering which one to go for? There are many different styles of Barbour’s waxed jackets, but the three standout designs are the Bedale, the Beaufort and the Border. Birkbeck outlines each one below:

‘The Bedale: The shortest of the waxed Barbour jackets, the Bedale is ideal for horseriding or cycling as you won’t end up sitting on the bottom of the jacket. It can be most commonly identified by its ribbed knitted cuff on the arms. It is also the only one of the three classic jackets that have rear vents.

The Beaufort: The Beaufort is most similar to the Border in that they both have nylon cuffs and do not have any rear vents as the Bedale does. Where these two coats differ is with the pockets. The Beaufort has an external “poacher’s pocket” (a large zipped pocket located on the back of the coat) and only one inner pocket.

The Border: Unlike the Bedale and the Beaufort, the Border has two internal pockets and a “game pocket”. A game pocket includes two removable nylon pouches on the inside of the jacket, ideal for wet or dirty items, which can then be completely removed and washed separately. The Border is also the longest of the three jackets so it’s perfect for activities where you might be crouched down or walking in long growth.’

When Is Glastonbury Festival?

Glastonbury Festival takes place from Wednesday 26 June to Monday 1 July 2024. You can find out where all the secret sets are here, and, if you didn’t manage to snag tickets this time, how to watch all the action at home here.

Images courtesy of Barbour