This year, leading heritage and lifestyle brand Barbour is collaborating with the internationally celebrated character, Shaun the Sheep on a new Christmas campaign. This mischievous and cheeky sheep is a family favourite who is well known for getting into exciting adventures in the countryside with Bitzer the sheep dog and the rest of the Flock, much to the Farmer’s dismay.
Created by the talented team at Aardman using their trademark stop motion technique, this year’s seasonal film has been carefully crafted in their Bristol studio, bringing Barbour to life on Mossy Bottom Farm. Funny, thoughtful and full of joy, the festive film follows the adventures of good-hearted Shaun, Bitzer and the Flock as they decide to repair the Farmer’s well-worn Barbour wax jacket after worrying that due to the damage it would no longer keep him warm and dry. Chaos swiftly ensues, and despite their best efforts the jacket is left looking worse than ever before. Thankfully, Christmas is saved when Bitzer clicks his fingers and the Farmer’s original jacket reappears, lovingly restored by the experts at the Barbour factory … with the message that for some people, re-waxing and repairing jackets might be best left to the professionals at Barbour.
Barbour has been offering a Re-Waxing and Repairs service for over 100 years and today the service forms part of Barbour’s Wax for Life programme – which includes a range of different initiatives designed to extend the life of Barbour Wax Jackets.
Paul Wilkinson, group commercial director, Barbour said: “This Christmas, we wanted to demonstrate the importance of extending the life of our garments and we’ve been able to achieve this through our partnership with Aardman. Working with Shaun the Sheep and his friends, we’ve created a light hearted and engaging film that we hope will make people smile this festive season. With a Barbour wax jacket, age is no limitation and through our Wax for Life initiative, globally every year over 73,000 of our wax jackets are returned to be re-waxed or repaired. A Barbour jacket is like an old friend – it becomes part of your life and part of your shared experiences and memories. By using our re-waxing and repairs service, your jacket can last for a long time continuing to give many years of faithful service and most importantly, reducing its impact on the environment.”
Rachael Peacock, Senior Brand Manager at Aardman added: “We’re delighted to be collaborating with such an iconic British brand, whose company values are so well aligned with our own. Shaun the Sheep’s ‘One Farm’ initiative challenges ewe to look after the planet, and Barbour’s services are a perfect example of how families can extend the life of their belongings.
“Our creative team had so much fun bringing the magic of Christmas back to Mossy Bottom Farm, and with his Barbour jacket the Farmer has become a style icon! We can’t wait to bring a smile to families around the world with this wonderful campaign.”
Film synopsis
The Christmas lights are on and snow is falling on the farm house at Mossy Bottom Farm when the Farmer and Bitzer the sheep dog embark on a day of work. Unfortunately, accidents ensue when the Farmer clumsily shears into his jacket with the clippers, forcefully rips a hole in his pocket with a pair of pliers and catches his jacket on the tractor door, ripping a big hole in the back.
Seeing the state of the damage, Bitzer is very worried that the Farmer will get cold, so he rallies Shaun and the Flock to help fix it his trusty Barbour jacket. Chaos ensues as the friends set about re-patching his jacket with a crazy sewing machine, they replace the zip with what they can find on the farm (old combs and a mouse trap) before re-waxing the jacket with dripping candles and an old rake.
Christmas day arrives and the Farmer is delighted when he is presented with his newly repaired jacket; it is the thought that counts after all. However, upon trying it on the Farmer soon realises that his jacket will need professional attention when his fingers become caught in a mouse trap and the jacket splits in two.
Luckily, a touch of Christmas magic saves the day when Bitzer clicks his fingers and the Farmer’s repaired jacket, lovingly restored by the experts at the Barbour factory, appears alongside jackets, hats and scarves for the Flock… with the message that for some people, re-waxing and repairing jackets might be best left to the professionals at Barbour!
