The special recognition award honours outstanding contribution to the fashion industry and longstanding commitment to British excellence and innovation. Dame Margaret was appointed to the board of directors of J Barbour & Sons in 1968 after the sudden death of her husband John Barbour. In 1973, she became chairman and has led the company for over 50 years through some of its most exciting times, meeting the needs of customers across the globe through growth and new product innovation. In the 1980s, she designed the three jackets that made Barbour a household name, the Bedale, the Beaufort and the Border. Today, they remain in the range and continue to be bestsellers. In everything that the company has done, Dame Margaret has always ensured that Barbour remains true to John Barbour’s founding principles of quality, durability, attention to detail and being fit for purpose.

Over the course of her career, Dame Margaret has used her position and platform to consistently give back, launching multiple charitable initiatives. In 1988, Dame Margaret founded The Barbour Trust, now called Foundation to support charities and important causes, mainly in the North East of England. During the pandemic, she turned over the factory in South Shields to make PPE for North East NHS Trusts to help the fight against COVID-19. She has continued to innovate the brand through industry leading partnerships with Erdem, Ganni and Gucci Continuum. She is also a fierce advocate for more sustainable fashion, implementing circular practices across the brand under the umbrella name, Wax for Life, offering re-waxing and repairs and extending the lives of wax jackets through Barbour Re-Loved. For Autumn Winter 24, she has overseen the launch of Quilt for Life, a new service in the UK to repair and continue the life of quilted jackets, BFC said in a press release.

“I am absolutely thrilled to receive this special recognition award from the BFC and to be honoured in this way at The Fashion Awards. Barbour means so much to me – I took over the company in the most difficult of circumstances and as we celebrate our 130^th anniversary this year, I think my late husband John would be very proud of how far the company has come and what I have achieved in making Barbour the recognised global lifestyle brand it is today. This Award, however, would not be possible without the hard work and dedication of all of my management team and staff who have contributed so much to our success,” Dame Margaret Barbour DBE, DL, chairman, J Barbour & Sons Ltd, said.

“We are delighted to honour Dame Margaret Barbour with a special recognition award for her remarkable contributions to the fashion industry and continued commitment to British excellence and innovation in the brand’s 130^th year. Over the course of her illustrious career, Dame Margaret has championed creativity and positioned Barbour as a cultural leader, always staying true to the brand’s renowned craftsmanship and maintaining a clear focus on sustainability and giving back through charitable initiatives. We look forward to celebrating with her in December,” Caroline Rush, chief executive, British Fashion Council, said.

The Fashion Awards 2024 presented by Pandora bring together a global community in London, the home of fashion creativity, to amplify leaders of change, celebrate excellence in creativity and support the next generation of creative talent. The event is the primary fundraiser of the BFC Foundation, which supports the future growth and success of the British fashion industry by focusing on education, grant-giving and business mentoring.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (RR)