Students on our BA (Hons) Fashion degree programme had the exciting opportunity to work on a live brief with heritage and lifestyle brand Barbour on a project that asked students to forecast and design jacket trends for Autumn Winter 25/26! The project saw students visit Barbour HQ in the North East, hear from senior designers for the brand to help develop their concepts, and receive sample packs of Barbour’s iconic signature fabrics to bring their designs to life.

“Working on a live project with Barbour in my first year of University has been something that will forever contribute to my future within the fashion industry” said first year student Maddie Smith. “I have always loved Barbour as it has been a brand that me and my family have grown up wearing so it feels very nostalgic to actually be working with them to create pieces and I was excited to be working with such an established brand that originates from the North-East.”

Speaking about the brief Maddie said “we were tasked with developing a concept for future jacket trends of Autumn Winter 2025/2026. For research purposes and to get a deeper understanding of Barbour’s values we had a trip to their headquarters in South Shields where we were shown their production line and many of the services they offer to enable customers to extend the lives of their jackets such as repairs, re-waxing and repurposing. During this visit we had a talk with the lead menswear designer from Barbour and he told us about the origin of the brand and how every element of their jackets is designed to have a purpose. I decided to use this information for my final design which I then created using the signature Barbour wax and tartan fabric.  They provided us with everything we needed in order to create the most polished and authentic jacket we could. Once we had our final concept we developed a range of designs that embraced not only our own style but also kept the signature Barbour feel throughout.”

Images captured by BA (Hons) Photography students.

Maddie’s project focused on shifting the brand’s countryside consumer to the city commuter, she explained; “My project was called Barbour x Women of the Capital. Within my research I found that the brand is often associated with the countryside and utility outerwear, which is something I wanted to change to help broaden the audience. I decided to design jackets for women living and commuting in cities all around the world. I focused on London, Tokyo, Edinburgh and New York looking at fabric, colour and silhouette trends to inspire my designs.”

“I wanted to make the jacket as practical as possible, including elements such as vents, card holders, glasses loops, earphone pockets and more. For London I found that trench coats were the most popular predicted trend, bomber jackets for Tokyo, waterproofs and windbreakers in Edinburgh and utility jackets for New York. I selected my London inspired design to actually create as it was the strongest.”

Maddie’s said her biggest takeaway from the project was “how important collaboration and brand DNA is. When I am working with brands in the future I will need to balance both my creative vision with the brand’s heritage and identity to result in designs that both myself and the brand would be proud of.”

Reflecting on working with our fashion students on this project Ian Bergin, Director of Menswear, Footwear and Accessories for Barbour commented  “It was a real pleasure working with the students on this project. They showed great enthusiasm and asked thoughtful, insightful questions—qualities that are clearly reflected in the impressive designs they produced. As an established family-owned company in the North East, we believe strongly in giving back and supporting the next generation of designers and we were delighted to be part of this initiative.”

Images captured by our BA (Hons) Photography students.

Speaking of her time on her degree programme Maddie commented “my experience on the BA (Hons) Fashion course so far has been extremely rewarding. This course has taught me how to prepare myself for the fashion industry through skill workshops, one to one feedback, brand collaborations and overall how to push myself to get the best result possible.”

Industry experience and live briefs like this underpin our fashion programme. Lecturer Sarah Thompson said about working on this project “This has been one of our most successful projects to date. Students were so excited to collaborate with such a renowned global brand with proud local roots. The tour, meeting the team and exploring the Barbour archives provided invaluable inspiration. A particular highlight was working with the wax fabrics, hardware, linings, and other materials so generously provided, which gave students hands-on insight into Barbour’s craftmanship. They have gained skills and experiences that will stay with them far beyond this project.

We are very grateful for the support and generosity shown by everyone at Barbour. This collaboration has been hugely rewarding for our students!”

Further information about The Northern School of Art’s BA (Hons) Fashion degree course is available HERE.