Alexa Chung's Interview on Barbour Collaboration

By Britt Burritt

No matter the occasion or the conditions, you won't catch fashion icon Alexa Chung looking anything less than lovely. On the Met Gala red carpet in a sequin dress or in a tee and jeans goofing with her girls on Instagram, the model, TV host and designer knows how to expertly work her signature gamine look.

Even in the fields of Glastonbury, Chung navigates the crowds and mud with aplomb in a pair of wellies and a Barbour jacket. The British heritage brand recently asked the style-setter to collaborate on a collection of coats, which released this summer—just in time for the June music festival. We spoke with Chung about her favorite Barbour memories and what to expect from her new designs, which she wore this year at Glastonbury. 

How did the collaboration come about?
The collaboration began with a trip to the Barbour archive, which I guess is where the inspiration started. I was let loose into a room filled with every single Barbour piece through history. I was like a kid in a candy store rifling through all of these incredible pieces with such rich stories behind them. From there, it was really about how to bring the brand's identity to the pieces, so we played with colour, proportions and fabrics to create a collection which straddled both brands' aesthetics.

You've been wearing Barbour since you were a child. What do you love most about the heritage brand? Why is it personal to you?
I have so many memories wearing Barbour, but the earliest memories are probably the ones that I find incredibly nostalgic and therefore special. Spending day upon day down at the local stables mucking out my pony and hacking out down the country lanes, I was happy as Larry.

You've frequently been spotted in Barbour at Glastonbury. Why is it so great for the festival in particular?
Barbour and Glastonbury are synonymous to me. They've really been invaluable in the mud and rain.

What's your all-time favorite Glastonbury memory?
Too many to mention, but here's a Barbour-related one: I woke up one morning to find that my friend Jack had snuck into our Winnebago overnight. I found him sleeping on the floor, wrapped in what can only be described as a Barbour sleeping bag, which he'd fashioned by collecting all of our jackets and zipping them together. I imagine it was the warmest, driest and most protective blanket of all time—clever him.