Barbour x Tusting Re-Loved Bags

          For the first time in the Barbour Re-Loved history, we’re launching a series of bespoke bags which have been crafted from jackets that no longer have a home. We’ve paired up in a collaborative effort with Tusting for a fusion of expertise in order to champion our sustainability initiative while creating a new kind of bag for life.

Barbour jackets are renowned for their longevity and durability, style and functionality wise, but we appreciate that your wardrobe staples come and go over time. Our project with Tusting reforms and rejuvenates unused Barbour jackets into something modern and unique, offering a range of tote, holdall and backpack style bags. 

                                A range of backpacks, holdalls and tote bags are available for purchase.

Every bag showcases an intricate design created from our Barbour pre-loved jackets, featuring side seams, zips and press studs that were previously used in a completely different capacity. One of our favourite parts of the bags is their element of surprise, using an old lower pocket for a front pocket on a holdall or a zip fastening to the top of the bag. Here at Barbour, we want to continue to enjoy style without the waste and so our efforts with Tusting offer the perfect solution. Each bag is made up of multiple different coats giving a one off accessory staple that will be unique only to your wardrobe. Inside each bag, you will find a Limited Edition label showcasing your unique number. With only 100 of these bags ever made, they really are a one off.

We joined forces with Tusting to ask some questions as to why they feel our collaborative journey offers something different, innovative and unique. Here’s what Tusting’s Head of Brand, Gillian Tusting, had to say:

What was the draw to work alongside Barbour on our Re-Loved project?

Barbour is an iconic British brand and has a like-minded customer to our own here at Tusting. It was such an imaginative idea and we could immediately see both the sustainability benefits and the charm in the concept.

What’s the most challenging part of reinventing Barbour wax jackets into Re-Loved Bags?

Getting enough panels out of the coats! Every coat is different and some were rather more Pre-loved than others! But we were able to find ways to use even quite small pieces by having the three different styles of bags to create.

 Barbour is a sustainability-rich company, how do you see the rejuvenation of old garments as a positive contribution?

Any element of recycling has the potential to benefit the planet and rejuvenating old garments sets a useful example and hopefully, fires designers' imaginations as to what more can be done.  This has been an opportunity to show how we could retain the useful parts, including metal components, all of which reduces new resources being used. Moreover, it hasn't required any bulk reprocessing with associated large energy consumption, which many recycling projects require.

What has been your favourite part of the Re-Loved process?

Seeing the old components reused, especially the zips and their complete plackets being incorporated into the holdalls, it retains so much of the identity of the coat, and yet looks exactly right in the holdall.

What do you think makes the Re-Loved bags such an innovative and revolutionary idea?

We've seen recycled materials like fire hoses and parachute fabric being recycled to make bags before but we think this is the first time we've seen identifiable parts of a garment used to create identifiable parts of a bag – at least in any quantity, rather than on a craft basis. And there's no reason that some of these bags can't go on to serve another whole generation in their Re-loved form – that's what's so exciting because that genuinely is a huge leap in the sustainability of the original garments.

                                                               Tusting's pattern cutting process 

 This project has been executed in an honest and authentic manner, trying to keep the original features of our jackets that are some of the most beloved by Barbour consumers while ensuring a new dimension is added to the bags. Nothing about the bags is changed, just repurposed for a cyclical approach to fashion.

The Barbour x Tusting Re-Loved bags feature a clean and new tartan lining, this hasn’t been taken from old wax jackets but instead have been taken from disused stock looking for a good home. This really reiterates Barbour and Tusting efforts to achieve as sustainably-friendly accessory as possible.

Saving the best bits of the jackets, Tusting brought Barbour’s sensational idea to light through a technical lense to ensure the Re-Loved bags are functional as well as fashionable. 

Our Re-Loved Projects don’t stop here, check out our page where you can find out more regarding how you can get involved with the sustainability push while treating yourself to a brand new Barbour.