The British brands reunite for a 38-piece collection inspired by the Highland Games, reworking Barbour icons through Paul Smith’s color and wit
Barbour and Paul Smith are reuniting for a third collaboration, extending their distinctly British partnership with a 38-piece Autumn/Winter 2026 collection inspired by the traditions and eccentricities of the Scottish Highland Games. Spanning menswear and womenswear, outerwear, footwear, and accessories, the capsule follows the pair’s AW25 and SS26 collaborations while pushing familiar Barbour signatures into new colors and fabrications.
At the center of the collection is Paul Smith’s reinterpretation of two of Barbour’s Original and Authentic Tartans. Classic Tartan and Muted Tartan are disrupted with vibrant pink, orange, and yellow, with the resulting patterns appearing as linings, trims, and statement fabrics throughout the range. The approach neatly summarizes the partnership: Barbour supplies a deep archive of British country codes, while Paul Smith introduces just enough irreverence to keep them from feeling overly reverential.
That exchange continues through the outerwear. The Beaufort Jacket appears in Merino wool windowpane check and deep navy corduroy, while the Transport Jacket is rendered in charcoal mélange Merino wool. Waxed classics receive an autumnal update as well, with russet applied to the Transport and Beaufort and bottle green appearing across the Gamefair and Long Spey. Knitwear in jewel tones, patchworked tartan shirting, striped cuffs, wellies, pins, and other accessories extend the Highland premise across the broader wardrobe.
The accompanying campaign returns to the offbeat cinematic world established by the collaborators for AW25. Directed once again by Leonn Ward, it follows recurring characters Paul and Baz as they travel to Scotland ostensibly to attend the Braemar Gathering. Baz, however, has another plan: he hopes to reunite with his ex-wife Linda. There is just one problem — he has mistaken the date and arrived two months early, leaving the pair to wander into the Games’ training ground instead.
Their miscalculation becomes an excuse to encounter a cast of local personalities against the Scottish landscape, bringing the Highland Games inspiration to life without turning the campaign into a straightforward exercise in heritage imagery. The understated absurdity is particularly well suited to the collaboration, balancing Barbour’s associations with British country life against Paul Smith’s longstanding affection for wit, color, and the unexpected.
Three seasons in, Barbour and Paul Smith appear to have found a productive formula precisely because neither brand has to stray particularly far from itself. Merino wool, tartan, waxed jackets, and Highland traditions offer plenty of heritage, while technicolor checks and a badly timed Scottish road trip keep proceedings from becoming too earnest. Paul and Baz may have missed the Games, but the collaboration remains very much on schedule.
The Paul Smith loves Barbour collection launches September 4, 2026, through both brands’ stores and websites and selected retail partners.
