Tartan has always been an important part of Barbour’s story. To celebrate this, the brand brought its heritage, AW26 collection and Repair and Re-wax initiatives together in an exhibition at London’s Saatchi Gallery in Spetember, exploring the many different facets of what makes Barbour, Barbour.
The iconic brand invited three Handsome Frank illustrators - Emma Kelly, Yo Hosoyamada and Zoë Barker to experience the exhibition for themselves, taking inspiration from the space and creating an original piece of artwork in response. With tartan at the heart of the otherwise open brief, each artist was given the freedom to interpret the exhibition in their own way, bringing their individual style and perspective to the Barbour story.
The results are three unique takes on the exhibition, each offering a different perspective on the brand, its heritage and its enduring relationship with tartan. We caught up with the artists to find out more about their experience and the inspiration behind their work.
Emma Kelly
It was lovely to be invited and to be able to engage in the exhibition and have the freedom to express it within illustration in my own way. The beautiful tartan and its geometry kind of resonate with architecture, which I love drawing and enjoy myself. I really wanted to use the seven different Tartans, the Barbour colours and the garments themselves to build up my own picture of the Barbour Tartan family.
Yo Hosoyamada
I really wanted to play with this idea that the exhibition really transports you through the Scottish Highlands almost like it’s like a gateway into the world of Barbour. As soon as you enter the exhibition you’re immersed in this magical space filled with shrubbery and tartan and fashion so I really wanted to play with the idea that the exhibition is like a portal, set within the heart of London.
Zoë Barker
The company itself has amazing heritage and the craftsmanship is amazing but there’s also the stories behind the individual Barbour jackets that they repair. It’s an item of clothing that you will have maybe for a lifetime, so I love that idea of your jacket soaking up your own stories, memories and the atmosphere that you’ve experienced.
I wanted to echo the craftsmanship, the attention to detail and the love pulled into a barber jacket through my materials and the way I was handling the imagery. I felt like using colouring pencils would be a really good way to show the textural atmosphere of the landscapes but also reflect how it’s clearly hand rendered, and that a lot of time and love has gone into that.
