Marketing & Communications Circular Economy

Barbour Christmas Campaign Extols Virtues of Repairing Much-Loved Items

The heritage lifestyle brand used a true customer story as inspiration for its latest Christmas campaign, which celebrates the value of repairing used items vs purchasing new.

Published 4 years ago | About a 2 minute read

Image: Barbour

British luxury and lifestyle brand Barbour has launched its 2020 Christmas campaign — which, for the second year, is inspired by the popular children's books written and illustrated by Raymond Briggs; and the iconic 1991 animated special, Father Christmas.

The two-minute film follows a young boy whose dog has chewed his father's beloved Barbour wax jacket. The boy writes to Father Christmas to say that, instead of a present this year, he just needs his help to repair his father's jacket in time for Christmas. Father Christmas realizes he can't mend the jacket himself, but asks the Barbour team for help.

The film is based on the true story of Dudley the dachshund, who chewed his owner's much-adored Barbour jacket. His owner sent it back to Barbour with a note from Dudley to say he was sorry.

Founded in 1894, Barbour has been rewaxing and repairing jackets in its South Shields, UK headquarters for almost a hundred years. Regular rewaxing (and repairs if required) extends the life of a Barbour jacket; and many wax jackets are handed down through generations of a family, making them a timeless and responsible choice.

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"This is a very special Christmas campaign for us, as it's based on a true story from one of our customers,” says Paul Wilkinson, Global Marketing and Commercial Director at Barbour. “The film highlights how much our Barbour jackets are loved and become an important part of the family. Barbour wax jackets are made to last; and if you rewax your jacket at least once a year, it could last you a lifetime — even if a naughty dachshund does decide to get his teeth into it!"

Barbour is among a growing group of apparel brands that offer repair services to extend the life of their garments — denim brands Nudie Jeans, Mud Jeans and Hiut Denim offer free repairs for life, as well as clothing leasing models; and Eileen Fisher, Levi Strauss, The North Face and Patagonia are among the brands with marketplaces dedicated to selling their recovered and refurbished items.