For me, the Bedale Jacket is what comes when someone says “Barbour.” With its big collar, relaxed fit, raglan shoulders and front patch pockets, it’s the ideal outerwear for embracing the elements, whether it’s heavy rain, the thrashing of a rampant river or splashes from a lake wake. You could be fishing or simply walking for a coffee, and Barbour’s trusty Bedale has your back.
Until now, the jacket has come in just a few colors: black, dark brown, green (called Sage) and a dark navy. However, New York brand Noah, which was founded by J.Crew Men’s creative director Brendon Babenzien, has just remixed it in eight all-new colors, in a 60/40 (cotton-nylon) technical fabric: three blues, a brown, one in green, another in orange, one in red, a camo colorway and a classic waxed cotton version. Each one comes with an oversized corduroy collar and four front pockets.
Courtesy
CourtesyPart three of three, this is the duo’s largest and last collaboration — at least for now. The partnership is over, both parties announced. “It’s been a great run with Barbour,” Babenzien says. “I’m a massive fan of the brand and the product.” But this is a fitting goodbye, considering how influential the Bedale has been for Babenzien. “It’s always fun finding ways to alter iconic items in small ways that expand how they may be viewed or used,” he adds.
Through Babenzien’s lens, the Bedale Jacket looks youthful and invigorated, closer to one of J.Crew’s colorful new Barn Jackets than a relic from the times before Gore-Tex. (The Barn Jacket debuted in 1983, but was revamped this year by Babenzien. A few years ago, Barbour remixed it, too.) But the designer is eager to honor the Bedales that came before his custom colorways. In collaboration with Barbour Re-Loved, 28 one-of-a-kind upcycled Barbour jackets will go on sale at a pop-up inside the Noah flagship in NYC.
Current Barbour owners can bring their jackets to be cleaned and re-waxed, too, and those beyond repair can be handed over for an $80 voucher toward a new one. That’s how Barbour sources jackets for its Re-Loved line, which are used jackets handed in by previous customers that are then refurbished and resold, either at a Barbour store or through a third party retailer.
