Barbour Unveils Unisex Collection With Maison Kitsuné

1 year ago

Street style meets country classics

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Barbour Unveils Unisex Collection With Maison Kitsuné

Barbour is on a roll with collaborations this year. The latest on the list? A unisex collection with French-Japanese lifestyle brand Maison Kitsuné.

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First Look: Barbour x Maison Kitsuné Collection

Coming together for the first time, Barbour and Maison Kitsuné have teamed up on a new collection dedicated to reimagining the British heritage brand through a modern lens. While keeping Barbour’s traditional functionality, the collection sees the Maison’s iconic fox emblem take over quilted jackets, bucket hats and jumpers, while classic silhouettes have been transformed with bold colour blocking.

‘Our two brands deeply care for excellence, craftsmanship and innovation,’ said a spokesperson from Maison Kitsuné. ‘Barbour has an incredible heritage in outerwear, and it was a fascinating experience to work on a collection together. Sharing our creative visions, developing a new narrative, and rethinking iconic silhouettes was fun, spontaneous, and exciting.’

‘Working with the Maison Kitsuné team has been a great learning experience,’ added Ian Bergin, Director of Menswear, Footwear & Accessories at Barbour. ‘Set up in 2002 by Gildas Loaëc and Masaya Kuroki, the “House of the Fox” clothing brand has always been such an interesting proposition. Part of a company that spans music and cafes as well as clothing, it epitomizes an irreverent sense of fun combined with a genuine chic Paris-Tokyo aesthetic.

‘Creating a joint character motif with the fox was at the heart of the collab and has worked very well as an icebreaker in introducing Barbour DNA and construction as a nod and a wink to the everchanging fashion business that is the heart of Maison Kitsuné. It’s an impactful micro-collection across wax jackets, quilted pieces, bags, hats and clothing, which really merges together a playfulness and attention to detail and craft.’

The collection itself comes to life in a new campaign, ‘A Series Of Unfortunate Mishaps’, which (as the name implies) offers a light-hearted view of the collaboration, with characters experiencing mishaps throughout their day – but weathering the storm through Barbour’s functional designs.

Collection Highlights

Outerwear

Barbour’s classic jackets get the Maison Kitsuné treatment, with the brand’s signature fox logo decorating each piece. Wax jackets have been redesigned with a smart cord collar (a pop of colour in the design) and pockets finished in classic tartan, a new quilted jacket features classic diamond-quilting, oversized pockets, a cord collar and tartan lining, while a reversible waterproof jacket can be switched between a black and tartan exterior for extra wear.

Clothing

Taking inspiration from Barbour classics since 1894, clothing in the collection looks back to evergreen countryside attire – think a Shetland wool knitted jumper and a neutral woven check shirt, perfect for layering as the days get colder. There’s also a new piece for the season: a pair of cargo trousers which bring together Maison Kitsuné’ street style aesthetic and Barbour’s utilitarian detailing, with a button and zip fly, oversized flap pockets and trench brown and uniform green colourways.

Accessories

All accessories within the collection are reversible, designed to be used and worn for multiple events and occasions. The tote bag and bucket hat, crafted from classic dry wax fabric, both reveal another side decked out in Barbour’s classic tartan and feature extras like multi-wear webbed handles and detachable chin straps for adjustable and customisable wear.