Before becoming Director of Menswear for one of the the most respected and iconic of British brands, Ian Bergin, was Managing Director of men’s fashion brand One True Saxon, a brand he founded at the turn of the millennium. Prior to that Ian spent over 10 years with Paul Smith in various roles including Brand Director R. Newbold (Paul Smith Japan), Brand Director Paul Smith Jeans and culminating with Divisional Director Paul Smith Casualwear. But it’s with Barbour Bergin has made the most impact. He is responsible for the overall design direction and strategy for all of the menswear collections for Barbour and Barbour International, developing ranges with his team for each brand for Season from outerwear through to shirts, knits, trousers, footwear and accessories.

However, the Barbour story dates back well before Ian joined the company in 2010. It began in 1894 in South Shields in the North East of England. Founder John Barbour began supplying oilskins and other garments to protect the growing community of sailors, fishermen and dockers. These first weatherproof items quickly established Barbour’s reputation for innovation and quality.

Today, Barbour remains a fifth generation family business and has grown into a lifestyle brand offering a wardrobe of stylish functional clothing for men, women and children inspired by the unique values of the British countryside. This includes shirts, trousers, knitwear, accessories and footwear alongside Barbour’s legendary outerwear. The iconic wax jackets continue to be made by hand in Barbour’s factory in South Shields.

Sander

Barbour’s Spring/Summer 2026 menswear doesn’t simply repeat familiar tropes — it recalibrates them for the modern man. The backbone remains the same sturdy British DNA: rugged outerwear built for real weather, logical design, and a flavour of country style reinterpreted for everyday life. But for SS26, there’s a clear step forward: technical fabrics meet nuanced silhouettes that feel equally at home on the high street, a coastal weekend or a city commute.

Beaufort

At the heart of Barbour’s SS26 range are jackets that underscore the brand’s directional shift towards performance and versatility without sacrificing heritage cues.

Take the Sander Waterproof Jacket — a standout for the season. Designed in lightweight micro-ripstop polyester with a waterproof membrane and a stowaway hood, this isn’t your grandfather’s waxed cotton. It’s a jacket built for variable weather and urban life, shedding weight in favour of practicality while keeping subtle leather badge detailing that nods to Barbour’s lineage.

Spey

Meanwhile, classic waxed icons like the Beaufort and Spey are expected back in updated colourways (think sage and light moss) with ripstop variations that lend an edge over their traditional counterparts — a refresh that keeps these stalwarts relevant in SS26 menswear wardrobes.

What’s your favourite piece of clothing?

Barbour ANTIQUE A7. Lightweight Wax international from 1978. Beautiful worn hickory/ black 6 oz black motorcycle jacket. Grey cord collar and plain black capped snaps.

If you could only wear one brand for the rest of your life who would it be?

Well I’d have to say Barbour quite genuinely as it’s just so timeless and offers such a great wearable range for so many ages. It’s that great understated style and reserve and rugged construction that’s so appealing.

For Formal I still like Paul Smith. His mainline is great and he uses lots of really interesting influences. Properly cut suits in my opinion. If his brand was a dog it would be an Irish Wolfhound. Effortlessly stylish.

Who is your style icon?

Michael Caine. Sharp and smart but masculine. In his heyday he looked properly cool but not as if he’d spent half an hour thinking about it.

Clint Eastwood in the 1970’s especially the Dirty Harry films. Outrageously cool haircut and sharp style.

Best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?

About business- Sales are Vanity, profit is sanity, cash is king. And make sure you choose your business partners with care.

I do like Groucho Marx’s view. –something like- “Life is about Honesty and Fair dealing and if you can fake that you’ve got it made”

What are you most excited about at the moment?

I’m excited about buying a new car- Audi RS6- the Mike Tyson of the Motoring World or a classic 911 which is all about the drive. I do a lot of research and stretch it out. Been saving for these so looking forward to finally making a decision.

If you could collaborate with one brand, who would it be?

I’d like to collaborate with one of the original Massimo Osti Brands such as CP or Stone Island. They were icons when I was growing up and his design ethos was extremely impressive. I’d also like to work with an industrial designer like Tom Dixon or Marc Newman as they would bring a totally different mind-set to the product.

If you could live anywhere where would it be and why?

San Francisco. Love it there. It’s where I got married. The climate. The food. The fact you can drive up or down the western Seaboard up to Seattle or Down to San Diego and its all so evocative and exciting.

Closer- actually North west Majorca. Stunning, great food, great hikes, great weather really easy to get anywhere in Europe in a few hours.

Favourite hotel in the world?

Hotel Tresaunton. St Mawes. A lesson in how a small hotel should be run. Its owned by Alex Polizzi so it should be good and it is. Great location, laidback but totally professional staff, lovely food.

If you could give your teenage self some advice, what would it be?

Don’t sweat the small stuff and buy your own Wahl hair clippers and give yourself a number 4. You never look back.

How did you get into the industry, what was your big break?

When I left University ( I studied Politics) I worked as an electricians mate during the housing boom in Buckinghamshire. Eventually I moved back to London after earning some money and thought I should find a “ Proper,” job. I eventually got a job at Arthur Andersen in London as a Management Consultant. On my first day I was given a plastic briefcase and calculator. I thought this isn’t me and promptly left immediately. I walked back across the Strand and up through Covent Garden and happened to pass the Paul Smith Shop on Floral St where there was a small hand written sign in the window saying “ Help wanted”

I went in and met Paul and worked for him for 14 years. I loved it.

Who would be your ideal diner guests?

Icon- Ernest Shackleton. His book “South” and the story of the doomed Endurance expedition is totally inspiring. Vanessa Paradis. You’d just have to wouldn’t you?

What piece of clothing would you relegate to Room 101?

I have a pair of old “Ball “ jeans from Italy bought years ago in the “ Underground Market “ in Manchester. The’re really baggy. It’s really not a good look either then or now.

Jack Hughes, maybe a name that sounds familiar to you, but after today’s interview, there will not only be no doubt who he is in your mind but also, hopefully, you will have fallen for his work as much as I have. Jack’s images have appeared all over the world whether it be in the pages of leading fashion magazines L’Officiel Hommes, Esquire, or The New York Observer. Plus he is highly sorted after whether that be commissioned by leading creative agencies such brands like Netflix, MrPorter.com, Levis and Burberry.

Jack has a truly individual and unique style, not only capturing the subject matter but also injecting a beyond realness, other dimension to his images which explains why brands are clambering over themselves to implement his talents. Lets hear from the man.

How did you get into the industry ?

I was quite lucky actually, during my third year degree show in London my soon-to-be agent saw my work and recruited me there and then! I’ve been freelancing ever since.

If you could have invented anything what would it be ?

Scandinavian design.

What makes an interesting subject ?

Something personal to the person creating it.

What artists do you admire ?

Loads! J.C. Leyendecker is a favourite.

If you had one day to live what would be your biggest regret ?

Not loving enough.

What inspires you ?

My own successes.

What’s your favourite piece of clothing ?

Either my Burberry trench coat or my AMI double breasted jacket that I never wear.

If you could only wear one brand/Designer for the rest of your life who would it be ?

Probably Maison Martin Margiella, I think anyone from any background can appreciate the style and details they employ, even if they don’t like the clothing.

Tell us something no one else knows ?

I really, really like the sound of hair dryers and vacuum cleaners, they can literally send me to sleep given the right circumstances.

What do you have to do after this conversation ?

Sleep! And dream…

Who would be your ideal diner guests ?

Trish Keenan, Susan Cain, Hayao Miyazaki, Stephen Fry, Neil Gaiman, Alison Goldfrapp, John Everett Millais and Louis C.K.

How do spent your free time ?

I rarely have free time these days, but I enjoy running and curling up with a good book or video game.

If you could give your teenage self advice, what would it be ?

I would hug him and do nothing more.

The one, the only Mr Simon Carter

British croquet champion, classic car collector and connoisseur Simon Carter’s inimitable blend of British elegance and practicality, tradition and panache have won him a dedicated following, which counts Gary Oldman, Will Smith, Jonathan Ross and Robert Downey Jnr plus a rather thriving label, thank you very nicely.

From humble beginnings, the brand was founded when Carter was still a student and gradually moved from brooches, to cufflinks to watches and today includes a suiting line as well as luggage aswell as jewellery. So he’s not just the “King of Cufflinks”, anymore.

plus if all that wasn’t enough 2025 sees Simon and his signature brand celebrate 40 years ! How can that be ? Plus, something that can’t be underestimated, he has seen recessions and booms and and trends come and go !

Anyway enough of me, you want to read what the man himself has to say, not me. So please enjoy the pearls of wisdom from Mr Simon Carter ;

If you could have invented anything what would it be?

The wheel – think of the licensing deals.

If you had one day to live what would be your biggest regret?

That I only had one day left to live and that I didn’t eat enough potted shrimps because I wouldn’t have to worry about the butter.

What’s your favourite piece of clothing?

A pair of vintage Chelsea Boots by Alan McAfee of Dover Street

If you could only wear one brand/Designer (Other then yourself) for the rest of your life who would it be? Why?

Seek out and only wear utility clothing from the 1940’s because it is so well designed and hard wearing.

Who is your style icon? Why?

King Charles because he always looks stylish. He rarely looks fashionable.

Can you tie a bow tie ? If yes, who taught you ?

Yes – I taught myself.

What piece of style advise do you live by ?

Style is what you make it. Fashion is dictated by others.

What piece of clothing would you relegate to Room 101?

Baseball caps

Who would do you ideal diner guests and why?

Quentin Crisp for gently bitchy conversation, Jo Brand because she is so funny and Christopher Lee because he is stylish and interesting. He also has an amazing voice – I want him to say ‘pass the salt please’.

How did you get into the industry, what was your big break?

It was a hobby and began with 100 brooches for men. I tried the whole of the Kings Road and hadn’t sold a single one. At the last minute a fabulous jewellers called Cobbler & Bellamy brought 50. That was the lucky break.

If you could collaborate with one brand (Who you currently aren’t) who would it be and why?

The V&A Museum – beauty and history what more do you want.

The Effortlessly Stylish Joe Casely Hayford (1956-2019)

We start 2019 with some very sad news that in the breaking days of 2019 we loss a creative menswear colossus in Joe Casely-Hayford. As a mark of respect for today’s post we are running our interview with Joe from 2013. Journalist Tom Stubbs summed up this sorry situation in such a succinct fashion when he put it, on describing this sad news as;

”It is so very sad that Joe Casely-Hayford has died and so young. I usually don’t do RIP’s on an I.G. feed that’s about men style and people, but Joe Casely Heyford O.B.E was all about men style and people, so have to mark his passing. Joe was sublimely elegance in both style and manners. Also kind, cool, creative and funny – a rare mix in life, let alone our industry. My thoughts and feelings go out to Joe’s beloved family. I am so glad to have seen Joe this autumn at the opening of the Casely-Hayford shop on Chiltern Street. A true family affair just like how Joe did things, far beyond the strong create a partnership with son Charlie. Family around him recounted how 2018 was a big year Joe aside from the shop opening, with the family wedding and an engagement and his granddaughter starting school. I am blessed I shared Joe’s repartee again that night in October on art, style and the street and recall he was always so quietly charming and generous with his words. Joe talked about and crated style in a uniquely erudite and instinctively modern savvy way. I interviewed Joe Casely-Hayford a couple of times, and also worked with his men’s style stuff, and so much of it was memorable. He once called Ariston ‘a very sexy mill’ during an interview. No one talks quite like that about clothes now, let alone back then. Joe strongly influenced me. with the LFW man’s international shows we must solemnly note that style, London, the world is a very special man down.

Joe Casely-Hayford RIP”

Joe Casely Hayford OBE has dressed some of the most iconic and stylish musicians from over a generation, which include The Clash to Tenie Tempah. However, this only accounts for a tiny proportion in this man’s long and illustrious career.

After, he graduated from St. Martins,

Joe’s signature style of combining innovation and impeccable tailoring fast developed which soon caught the eye of leading publications of the time, i.D, The Face and Arena.

Incidentally, a little known fact is that, Casely-Hayford was one of the first designers to make the cross over and collaborate with a high retailer on an exclusive collection, back in 1993 for TOPSHOP !

He’s contributed definitive pieces of work to many fashion and art related exhibitions internationally as well as being the subject of exhibitions himself. “Through the Ages”, a retrospective of Joe’s work was held at “The Edge” space in Tokyo, September 1996.

In 2005, Joe’s sartorial vision was cemented during his successful tenure as Creative Director of the 200 year old Savile Row house, Gieves & Hawkes, taking it and opening it to a new global audience by showing during Paris Mens Fashion Week and credited as a major step in bringing the illustrious company into the 21^st century.

After a four year break, Joe returned to the industry with a new signature Menswear range, Casely-Hayford in partnership with his son Charlie. The brand ethos is built around a theme of English sartorialism and British Anarchy. So without further ado let’s see what the good man has to say for himself;

How did you get into the industry, what was your big break?

I studied at the very formal Tailor and Cutter Academy before attending the slightly” less” formal St. Martins. My first collection was based on a recycling concept. I made clothes from Second World War tents which became quite popular.

What is you most memorable moment ?

From the point of view of recognition, I guess receiving an OBE from the Queen is up there with the first time I saw my wife at St. Martins.

What track would always get you on the dance floor ?

I’m a dancing machine (in my head) there are too many tracks to even consider; this changes daily. Today it’s The Invisible “Wings” remixed by Floating Points.

Who would do you ideal diner guest/s and why ?

Tony Benn, will Self and Christopher Hitchens would interest me for their intellect and wit. Some of my ancestors would be good to talk to. I had an Aunt Gladys who was a poet, she walked with a limp but this didn’t deter her from joining a dance troupe in the Weimar republic.

In your own words what is you’re SS13 collection about?

It’s called phantasy in Tokyo and draws a comparison between the freedom, vibrancy and openness of 90s rave culture in the UK and the deep contemplative nature found in areas of Japanese culture at the same time.

What is your favourite piece in the collection?

Naturally I love the whole collection. In particular the oversized silk parka and also the hybrid pieces we’ve become known for, such as the half shirt half jacket or half Polo shirt half formal shirt.

If you could have invented anything what would it be?

The Pencil.

If you had one day to live what would be your biggest regret?

Each morning I set out to achieve my best at whatever I’m doing and to treat others with respect. Hopefully, if I can continue this until that fateful day I shouldn’t have any regrets.

What inspires you ?

I am inspired by living in London.

Who is your style icon ?

My father was pretty stylish. He had exquisite taste which was outside of fashion.

Have you ever bought a piece of clothing and regretted it ? If so what & why ?

I have a shoe fetish, and have on occasion impulse bought ill fitting shoes. Rather than throw them out I tend to forget how painful they are until the next time I wear them.

If you could collaborate with one brand (Who you currently aren’t) who would it be and why ?

I would love to be given the opportunity to develop a range of future tailoring with a forward company like Nike, combining my Savile Row experience and knowledge of sportswear with Street style.

Joe Casely-Hayford (1956-2019)

(Images by Rebecca Spencer)

Broadcaster James Stewart, is fast becoming one of the hottest new talents out there at the moment. His wit and and charisma on air, has made him a real hit with listeners of his regular Weekend shows with HEART FM. Aswell, as this he has also hosted for international entertainment TV channels including; SYFY, NBC and the live red carpet coverage at the Oscars for E!.

James is a regular face at LONDON FASHION WEEK, both behind the camera and also on the front row of catwalk shows and has worked with brands including; TOPMAN, ASOS and SUPERDRY.

His following on social media is building at a rapid rate, with fans regularly checking out his style and grooming tips on Instagram and YouTube. This has caught the eye of men’s grooming brand, JOHNNY’S CHOP SHOP who have made him their ambassador.

If you could have invented anything what would it be ?
I’d probably event a time travel device, that could only go back in time… I’m a bit of a history nerd so to go back and experience different points in history would be pretty cool, but I wouldn’t want to see the future… I like the idea of not knowing what’s ahead!

If you had one day to live what would be your biggest regret ?

I don’t have any regrets, life is too short.

What’s your favourite piece of clothing ?

I have a Burberry Mac that I’m quite proud of, it’s probably the most extravagant piece of clothing I own…but you only need one in your lifetime, so that justifies it, right?

If you could only wear one brand for the rest of your life who would it be ?

Oooooof, I’m a high street boy at heart, so I think I’d say Reiss. I think they’re great for every season, and it’s just really clean and easy to wear.

(Image by Joseph Sinclair)

Who is your style icon ?

I remember growing up, and my Dad introducing me to James Dean movies (my favourite film is ‪Rebel Without A Cause‬ ) so I think for nostalgia I’d say him. There’s a pretty iconic shot of him in New York, with baggy trousers, a roll neck and that coat in the wind which always makes my mood board for any shoot!

What piece of style advise do you live by ?

Be you. It’s great to take inspiration from different people, but ultimately, you’re the one that has to wear it, so wear something you feel comfortable and confident in, not just what you think you should be wearing.

What piece of clothing would you relegate to Room 101 ?

Crocs.

What do you have to do after this conversation?

Ha, collect my car! I bought a car recently, but forgot to sort out a parking permit for where I live in London, so I’ve only driven it once..!!

What would you like to be doing after this conversation ?

Going to LA! The weather in London is pretty naff right now…

Who would be you ideal dinner guests ?

James Dean (see above!)
Mark Hamill – I’m the biggest Star Wars fan ever, so you’ve got to have Luke Skywalker at your dinner party!
Margot Robbie – got a bit of a crush, and we have the same birthday, so we could talk about star signs….and stuff?!
‪George Michael – What he did for music was incredible, and I’d love to speak to him about song writing, his music and just life. What an interesting human. ‬

That would be it, I’d keep it small so we could cover all the bases.

(Image by Rebecca Spencer)

What is your most memorable moment ?

I got to do the Oscars live from the red carpet last year, that was pretty special, I’ll always remember that.

If you could give your teenage self advice, what would it be ?

…. it will work out!

If you could live anywhere where would it be ?

I’ve always said I’d love to live 6 months on the West Coast of America, travelling around between San Fran and LA… so there!

What would be the name of your autobiography ?

Not A Rebel, But Have A Cause.

Best piece of advice you’ve ever been given and by whom?

Never give up on your dreams, by my Dad 🙂

(Image by Joseph Sinclair)

Tune into James Stewart on Heart, Saturdays and Sundays ‪from 1am – 6am‬. James is the grooming ambassador for Johnny’s Chop Shop available at Boots

Textual Conversations with Ian Bergin of Barbour

A Picture paints a thousand words – Jack Hughes, Textual Conversations

Simon Carter – Textual conversations

RIP Joe Casely-Hayford – Textual Conversation

Joe Casely-Hayford (1956-2019)

Textual conversation – James Stewart

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