Here in the great British countryside, mud is a fact of life – regardless of the season. Even at the very height of summer, two weeks into a hosepipe ban, it would be foolhardy – reckless even – not to expect a downpour heavy enough to burst every bank this side of Scotland.
And yet, despite knowing full well that rain means mud and mud requires sensible shoes, when it comes to packing for a weekend in the sticks, it’s easy to revert to a naïve meteorological optimism. Or maybe you know that, ideally, you’d love to have access to a solid pair of wellies for a stomp around the countryside but also need to travel light; a pair of muddy boots isn’t the easiest thing to squeeze into an overnight bag.
Fortunately for PIG fans, we’re well prepared for when terra firma suddenly isn’t all that firm. We’ve recently partnered with British outdoor brand Barbour to provide wellies – both short and long – for anyone who misread the forecast or simply forgot to pack theirs.
“We’re a perfect fit,” says Tom Ross, our CEO, of this Barbour-PIG collab. “Family-founded, British countryside obsessives who love nothing more than getting outside and exploring and adventuring. All of us are deeply committed to reusing and repurposing everything we can. So when you come to a PIG, you’ll always be greeted with friendly faces and higgledy-piggledy rows of Barbour wellies by the front door – just like at a mate’s house. Well, a mate who has a great stash of boots”
The British heritage brand, best known today for its iconic waxed jackets started life in South Shields in 1894 when a draper, John Barbour, opened his first shop: J Barbour & Sons. Thanks in part to his son Malcolm Barbour, the shop would later become well-known locally as a place to source oilskin outerwear, ideal for protecting working people from wet weather conditions.
J Barbour & Sons began offering customers the chance to make a purchase via catalogue, taking orders from as far afield as Chile and Hong Kong – a feat in the pre-internet age. By 1917, catalogue orders accounted for almost 75% of Barbour’s business.
By the mid1930s, in what would become a winning habit for the brand, Barbour mad a play for a new customer: the motorcyclist. Malcom’s son, Duncan Barbour, introduced a motorcycling range that became a hit with British racers. Tough economic times and the distraction of World War II were to follow, but Barbour pulled through and continued to reach customers beyond its original fanbase of sailors, fishermen, farmers and dockworkers.
In the decades since, the Barbour clothing range has become much wider than the still-iconic waxed jackets that have been spotted on everyone from MPs to it-girls and rock stars to royalty. The late Queen’s favourite Barbour pieces was a jacket designed in 1982, the Beaufort.
Whether or not you wear one of the waxed jackets – and at THE PIGs, we’ve even seen quite a few dogs walk in wearing the canine range – Barbour definitely has an unmatched track record in stopping people from getting wet. We can confirm that the brand’s stylish wellies are similarly up to the task of keeping your feet safely dry and cosy, however squelchy things get outside. In the UK, it wouldn’t be festival season without the mud, after all.
Feel free to borrow a pair of Barbour wellies any time during your stay at THE PIGs. Whether it’s for a wander down to the Kitchen Garden or a longer ramble, pick up a pair and just leave them with us when you come back inside!
