Barbour International at 90: The Story of the A7 Jacket
Barbour International reaches a milestone this year, and the question most people arrive with is a simple one: where did it actually come from, and how is it different from plain Barbour? The answer starts on a motorcycle, at the hardest endurance event in the sport. This guide covers the origin, the A7 jacket, the timeline and the anniversary collection, from an official UK stockist.
The short answer
2026 marks 90 years of Barbour International. The line was born in 1936, when Duncan Barbour — a keen motorcyclist and the third generation of the Barbour family — built a waxed cotton suit for the International Six Day Trials and named it after the event. Ninety years on, the same blueprint still defines it: the slanted map pocket, the belted waist and the four studded pockets of the A7.
The A7
The A7 is the archive name for the jacket the suit became, and every detail on it answered a problem a rider actually had: the slanted map pocket angled across the chest so it could be reached and opened while seated on the bike, the stiffened belt at the waist to stop the jacket riding up and wind getting underneath at speed, four studded pockets that are storm-flapped and secured because an open pocket at 60mph is an empty pocket, and a storm collar with a throat strap that fastens tight to seal out the weather — all in waxed cotton, with the Original still cut in heavyweight 8oz Sylkoil that ages rather than wears out. Ninety years on those same lines show up across the range, including the name itself, and the A7 Overshirt in the current collection borrows it straight from the archive in garment-dyed washed cotton canvas with a corduroy collar. Shop Barbour International
The timeline
Ninety years, from South Shields oilskins to the anniversary capsule. The dates below are the ones that made the International what it is, and they run from the founding of the family firm through to the milestone the brand is marking now.
| Year | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 1894 | John Barbour founds J. Barbour & Sons in South Shields, making oilskins for dockers, sailors and fishermen. |
| 1936 | Duncan Barbour creates a one-piece waxed cotton suit for the International Six Day Trials — and names it the International. |
| 1940 | A two-piece version is developed at the request of Captain George Phillips for submarine crews, becoming standard issue in the submarine service. |
| 1947 | The International jacket crosses over to civilian motorcycling. |
| 1950s–70s | Worn by virtually every rider on the ISDT circuit; British motorcycling teams wear it through to 1977. |
| 1964 | Steve McQueen and the US motorcycling team ride the ISDT in East Germany in Barbour Internationals. |
| 2011 | Barbour marks the jacket's 75th anniversary and launches its first Barbour Steve McQueen collection. |
| 2026 | Barbour International turns 90. |
The origin
It was competition kit before it was clothing. The International Six Day Trials was the hardest test in motorcycling — six consecutive days of endurance riding across open country, in whatever the weather did — and Duncan Barbour rode it himself, so in 1936 he built the kit he wanted for it: a one-piece waxed cotton suit that kept the rain out and took the punishment, named after the event. That is the detail worth holding on to, because Barbour International was never a fashion line that borrowed a motorcycling look, and everything the modern range does still traces back to a garment designed to survive a week in the saddle.
McQueen
The International's reputation was built by the people wearing it. Through the 1950s, 60s and 70s it was effectively the uniform of the ISDT paddock, worn by virtually every rider on the circuit and by British teams right through to 1977, but its most famous moment came in 1964, when Steve McQueen and the US motorcycling team rode the Trials in East Germany in Barbour Internationals. That image — McQueen, off-road, in a belted waxed jacket — did more for the brand than any campaign, and Barbour returned to it in 2011 with its first Steve McQueen collection, launched to mark the jacket's 75th anniversary.
Two Barbours
Same family firm, two different jobs. This is the question we get asked most, and the answer is that Barbour and Barbour International are two lines built for two different places — the country on one side, the bike on the other. Compare them row by row below.
| Barbour | Barbour International | |
|---|---|---|
| Born | 1894, South Shields | 1936, for the Six Day Trials |
| Built for | The countryside — field, farm, shooting | Motorcycling — speed and weather |
| Look | Country heritage; waxed and quilted outerwear | Sharper and sportier; moto-inspired detailing |
| Signature | The classic waxed country jacket | The belted A7 with its slanted map pocket |
| Palette | Olive, navy, sage | Black, navy, grey with flashes of colour |
| Range today | Outerwear-led | Full casual range — polos, tees, overshirts, sweats, caps |
The collection
A commemorative capsule marking the milestone. Barbour International has applied anniversary graphics, archive-inspired prints and 90th badging across tees, polos, sweats and jackets, and two of them are in stock at Spiral Seven now, both in black: the 90th Anniversary Graphic T-Shirt, cut in a relaxed fit from heavyweight 210gsm cotton with an embroidered commemorative graphic on the chest and a gold vintage motorcyclist printed across the back straight out of the brand's Six Day Trials history; and the 90th Anniversary Polo Shirt, which takes the quieter route in lightweight 180g cotton pique and a tailored fit, monochrome with high-shine tipping and tonal branding and a small 90th Anniversary badge at the hem — the one you can wear anywhere without announcing it. Both are limited runs, and sizes are already thinning out.
The fit
Three fits, and the product page tells you which one you are looking at. Slim is cut close, especially through the body, so size up if you want room to layer; Regular is true to size, so order your usual; and Tailored is also true to size but with a little more room through the chest. For full chest measurements and how to measure yourself, use the sizing guide. Barbour International Sizing & Fit Guide
Wearing it
It layers better than almost anything else in the wardrobe, because it was designed to be worn over things. The easiest good outfit in the range is the anniversary tee under the navy A7 Overshirt with dark denim, while the 90th polo is monochrome enough to sit under any of the quilted or waxed outerwear without clashing — and the rule underneath both is to keep the palette tight, because black, navy, grey and one flash of colour is the Barbour International formula, and it is why the pieces mix so easily with everything else you own. Designer outerwear
Common questions
When is Barbour International's 90th anniversary?
What is the Barbour International A7 jacket?
Is Barbour International the same as Barbour?
Did Steve McQueen wear Barbour International?
Does Barbour International fit true to size?
What is in the 90th Anniversary collection?
Still unsure
Email the team and we will help you pick. We are an official UK stockist of Barbour International, with the anniversary pieces, overshirts, jackets, polos, tees and caps in stock, so tell us the fit you are after and we will point you at the right size. Free next-day UK delivery on orders over £70, and easy returns. Shop Men's Barbour International
Written by the Spiral Seven buying team · Last updated 29 July 2026 · Official UK stockist of Barbour International
