The rise of Barbour from the first South Shields shop to the Sunday Times Rich List

It is a brand that's instantly recognisable and the very name conjures up an image of the great outdoors with walks in the countryside and no doubt a Labrador trotting at the heels.

Barbour - famed for the green wax cotton jacket - is an iconic name, born in the North East and now popular around the world. Its owners Dame Margaret and Helen Barbour, who run the South Shields-based company, have just been named among the richest people in the North East in the 2024 Sunday Times Rich List where they are ranked fourth with £537m, behind only the Reuben brothers and Steve Gibson.

While the company speaks of high-end luxury, it has worked its way to the top from the starting point of a single shop and by building a proud reputation which sees it remain loyal to its local roots. The fashion brand's first outlet was opened by John Barbour in South Shields Market Place in 1894.

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The shop, J Barbour & Sons, began the story of that trademark waxed jacket and - fast-forward to today - the headquarters of the family company, now run by the fifth generation, is based nearby in Simonside, Jarrow, where its factory makes those classic jackets and carries out repairs by hand. While Barbour is as much a North East institution as Greggs, it has branched out with outlets in more than 55 countries and now sells a whole wardrobe of clothes, from knits to dresses and footwear plus accessories.

It just takes a look at its family gift guide, which at the end of last year contained items for all the family even down to the likes of luxury blankets for dogs, to see just how wide its net now spreads. But even back in the day its first mail order catalogue, which came out in 1908, was making an impact and by 1917 it accounted for almost 75% of business, including international orders from as far away as Chile, South Africa and Hong Kong, says the company.

As various generations of the family took over, there were various additions, with a motorcycling range introduced by motorbike enthusiast Duncan Barbour in 1936 - which was apparently worn by nearly every British international team until 1977 when Barbour stopped making it - and an Ursula suit for submarine personnel, added in 1939 by Duncan's wife Nancy, who stepped up while her husband was away at war, and relative Malcolm Barbour.

Current co-owner Margaret Barbour was the designer of The Beaufort jacket which was added to the catalogue for the first time in 1983. Said to last for decades, the jacket, with its brown corduroy collar, has become one of Barbour’s most recognised styles.

When the Beaufort jacket's 40th anniversary celebrations came around, Paul Wilkinson, group marketing director and managing director US, said at the time: "Together with our other traditional wax jackets, the Beaufort continues to remain popular across the globe.

"These jackets become part of your life and experiences and our customers regularly share stories with us about the memories their jackets have evoked."

There's a big focus upon jacket re-waxing, with the company having a Wax for Life programme. Wilkinson said the company's 'evergreen icons', if re-waxed regularly, "will last a long long time and can be passed down through the generations for many years to come making them a very sustainable choice".

In 2021 the-then Prince Charles visited the Barbour factory to open the new Wax for Life Workshop. At the recent Northumberland County Show, the company had staff there for the first time to re-wax jackets throughout the day, with all proceeds going to the Royal Countryside Fund.

Barbour received its first Royal Warrant - from the late Duke of Edinburgh - in 1974; followed by the second in 1982 by the late Queen and then a third in 1987 by Prince, now King, Charles. It was the following year that Margaret Barbour set up The Barbour Trust - now called The Barbour Foundation - which supports mostly local projects and community issues.

Three years later she was awarded a CBE for her services to industry, followed by a Damehood in 2001. The Barbour Foundation, which besides good causes also supports research into the causes of chronic illness, has over the years donated more than £29m to communities.

Despite that country image, the Barbour jacket is now seen everywhere, with the likes of the Arctic Monkeys and Lily Allen spotted wearing the brand at Glastonbury. And the award-winning name has featured at London Fashion Week and in various fashion collaborations.

While sticking to its core range, the company has diversified and adapted over the years and even kept busy during Covid with its Barbour factory reopening to make PPE for the NHS. It created a whopping 50,000 disposable gowns between April and the end of May before going back to making wax jackets.

The company has stood the test of time and continues to be one of the best-loved brands around. It is known for having a sense of fun too.

It worked on a festive advert in 2021 which proved a big hit, showing Paddington Bear preparing a thoughtful gift for Mr Brown. The animation featured Paddington re-waxing his foster father's beloved Barbour jacket for Christmas.

Paul Wilkinson, group marketing director, said of it at the time: "It’s nostalgic, humorous and sentimental and shows just how much our Barbour jackets are loved and become an important part of the family. If re-waxed at least once a year, they can last a long long time.”