Barbour links with Monty Don for SS26 campaign

Barbour has become a popular brand for collaborations in recent years as well as for partnerships with famous faces, the latest of which is a link-up with Monty Don.

Fresh from creating a one-off red-carpet embellished opera jacket for Claire Foy in a collab with Erdem and a series of floral outerwear pieces with Farm Rio, the label has now gone for something completely different to those link-ups. But it’s one that’s more traditionally Barbour in its overall style.

It said that “Britain’s most legendary gardener, Monty Don, might seem like an unexpected high-fashion muse, but he is the original pioneer of ‘allotment-core’, and the perfect anchor for Barbour’s spring/summer 2026 collection”.

Of course, for anyone who remembers the 1980s (and who, like this writer, wore Monty Don jewellery for her wedding), it might seem less of a surprise to see Don linking with fashion label. He was the name behind one of that decade’s buzziest premium costumer jewellery brands and his approach to gardening clearly shows his design sensibilities.

Now partnering with the heritage brand for ‘A Very Barbour Summer’, we’re told he brings a “deeply authentic, rustic-chic edge that perfectly bridges the gap between practical horticulture and effortless personal flair”. 

The link-up is all over Barbour’s social media channels and rather than a “traditional, transactional campaign launch”, Barbour chose to link with Don to curate “a fully immersive brand universe to bring the collection to life”. 

To celebrate the season, the gardener (who’s currently being seen on TV nightly as the host of Chelsea Flower Show coverage and is also a famous dog-lover) hosted an exclusive overnight retreat at THE PIG in the South Downs a few days ago, “with the brand inviting guests to celebrate the intersection of horticulture, fashion, food and everything that makes the perfect Barbour summer. From quiet vineyard walks to long terrace suppers, the experience captured the slower, emotional side of the British summertime, culminating in a thoughtful conversation between Monty Don and Jordan Stephens that highlighted Barbour’s growing focus on cultural resonance and shared moments”. 

As for the clothes themselves, the SS26 wardrobe is all about “this kind of escapism and the beautiful unpredictability of life outdoors”. 

It embodies Monty Don’s “blend of utility and style. Heritage outerwear has been redefined for warmer months with lightweight, breathable fabrics and subtle tartan linings hidden beneath collars, breathing fresh energy into hero pieces such as the Modern Tartan Beadnell Jacket and the relaxed Modified Solway Jacket”. 

For women and with a youthful consumer in mind, the collection also “introduces a softer approach to warm-weather dressing” with soft pastels, broderie co-ords, and the Gianna Tartan Midi Dress, sitting alongside shower-ready festival layers like the Showerproof Tartan Poncho and Devlin Mid Welly. 

Menswear meanwhile offers functional pieces like the Declan Patch Short and Re-Engineered Flyweight Gilet, designed to work for both the urban lover of the look and the off-duty consumer.