Barbour Beacons

Yet more British style rebirth joins the burgeoning mood.

The Beacon brand is also back from its slumber as part of Barbour history. Dating back to 1908, it took its name from the lights marking the mouth of the Rive Tyne that guided sailors back and forth from the sea-lanes. The line was predominantly oilskins, but included rubber, leather and thornproof clothing. The Beacon brand produced high quality clothing for a variety of working and sporting pursuits, such as fishing, shore shooting, riding and motorcycling. Naturally, it afforded the complete waterproofing required to perform in all these sports.

Now the name Beacons has been re-deployed for a line of jackets designed by fashion/product designer and creative Tokihito Yoshida. A notable design force, he has worked as a consultant for Dunhill in Japan, as well as a fashion editor and film stylist. He founded his own brand, TO KI TO in 1997. For this collaboration he takes inspiration from Barbour and the very British activities for the Beacons range. Fourteen styles of action jackets make up the range. If I’ve ever had a criticism of Barbour jackets it’s that they didn’t exploit extraordinary fabric juxtaposition enough, nor the shear ‘man-joy’ of fastenings and device play. Tokihito has indulged this latent desire for me. The tariff has risen satisfyingly too. The themed jackets include one dedicated to bicycling, driving, horse riding, and motorcycling. I’m keen to commission one specially devised for use on busses/at bus stops and one for loitering on canal tow-paths.

-Tom Stubbs is FQR’s style editor

The collection is available to buy from www.liberty.co.uk

No Responses

1. Laguna Beach Trad Says:
   October 7th, 2009 at 1:39 pm

   Looks promising. The driving jacket in particular is very appealing. I need a jacket specifically designed for stumbling home from the pub.

2. SF Dude Says:
   October 27th, 2009 at 10:30 pm

   Any idea where one can purchase the Wax Motor Cycling Jacket? I can’t seem to track it down anywhere online.

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