Shaftesbury Capital has announced that Barbour, the British luxury lifestyle brand, has opened at 37 Neal Street in Covent Garden’s Seven Dials neighbourhood. The historic retailer’s store is centred around its fresh design concept of New Heritage, which celebrates its dual identity as both historic in legacy and contemporary in design. The entrance of the iconic British retailer emphasises Shaftesbury Capital’s ongoing success in attracting the latest concepts from internationally established brands.
In a nod to Barbour’s 130-year history, the new Covent Garden store is designed to deliver the practicality of its roots, re-engineering them for today to create purposeful designs with a contemporary aesthetic. The store houses the brand’s most fashion-forward ranges, including Heritage +, Heritage Select, and Re-Engineered. Committed to circularity, Barbour’s Re-Loved jackets are also on offer, alongside Re-wax lockers to allow customers to bring well-worn items and have them carefully restored by in-house experts to extend the life of the garment.
The store has been designed to create a space to immerse customers in Barbour’s heritage and storytelling. The décor takes inspiration from the brand’s first market stall founded in 1894 in South Shields, featuring a rich colour palette, enamelled signage, covered entrances and exposed ironwork. Green tin lights mimic those found in the brand’s North Eastern England factory, and solid oak furniture, bronze and brass detailing, and aged mirrors pay homage to Barbour’s history with a modern twist.
Barbour Covent Garden joins its sister store on Shaftesbury Capital’s Carnaby Street, which opened in the iconic Soho neighbourhood earlier this summer. Nodding to the brand’s historic British legacy by design, the launch of the two new concept stores within the Shaftesbury Capital estate reiterates its commitment to introducing brands that celebrate the portfolio’s unique heritage. Covent Garden is home to a range of other British heritage brands, including Paul Smith, Radley London, Penhaligon’s and Mulberry.
Michelle McGrath, executive director, Shaftesbury Capital, commented: “Barbour is an iconic British brand, steeped in history and committed to high-quality craftsmanship. It is therefore fitting that the brand will open on Covent Garden’s Neal Street with the introduction of its New Heritage concept, which marries archive inspiration with modernity. As stewards of Covent Garden, it is important to Shaftesbury Capital that we continue to evolve the offer, adding concepts that both complement and enhance the neighbourhood’s distinct character, and the new Barbour store does exactly this.”
Paul Wilkinson, group commercial director at Barbour, added: “Our New Heritage stores are here to tell the authentic story of our brand to consumers and connect with our unique heritage as well as offering one-off, limited edition Re-Loved jackets and re-waxing services under our wax for life program, showcasing the business’s commitment to extending the life of our garments. Neal Street provided the perfect location for this type of store with a large international consumer, nestled with global brands and independent concept stores.”
The opening of Barbour follows the recent announcement that Axel Arigato, the global Swedish footwear brand, has also launched in Seven Dials, at 21-23 Earlham Street. The international lifestyle brand has launched in a 2,500sq ft anchor unit opposite the iconic sundial pillar, offering its extensive range of womenswear, menswear and accessories.
