Our Barbour trunk show is this Thursday, October 31st. While the brand is a celebrity favorite, it also stays true to its roots of being weatherproof wear for active people. Their waxed cotton fabric is the fabric they first used, and still has a presence in the products that they carry today. The brand hails from Britain, and even though they’re international (and have been placing international orders since the 1920s) they recognize how much the country has impacted what the brand stands for: royal family-worthy luxury and a fondness for the countryside.

Instead of just overloading their Facebook fans and blog followers with product pictures and pushing things for sale, they decided to shift the focus. They switched the focus to be on the land and the people that make the brand possible. Brands are more than just products, they’re ideas and lifestyles. Barbour coats wouldn’t have been created if climate didn’t call for it. A good product is high-quality and practical for a person’s lifestyle.

They called for their fans to submit their local heroes, the people that make an area what it is. I like that even though the people they featured aren’t all Barbour consumers, they’re still part of the big market that Barbour has earned success and grown in. As a family-owned business, once their product achieves success, it also gives back to the community in taxes.

The many landscapes and climate that England has also contribute to the success of Barbour’s products. They also asked fans to submit their own favorite landscapes as one more way of showing how its the weaving of all these different perspectives and places that define a country.

The whole thing got me thinking about our own community, how each business and brand is bigger than the products it sells.