Inside Barbour's Series Exploring the Natural World

Slowing the pace of life to soft-sell high-end jackets

Barbour’s “It’s a Way of Life” documentary series, housed on its website, Instagram and YouTube channels, now runs across 22 episodes, the latest featuring naturalist, author and TV host Monty Don.

With each episode carefully designed to reflect the craft and heritage of the brand, the brand series represents the antithesis of the “hard sell.” Shot by a skeleton crew, with fast-turnaround edits, the speed of production belies the careful thought and planning poured into each installment.

Operating a small team has the benefit of making both the filming and end result feel more intimate, offering a “behind the scenes” aspect to the storytelling. The latest episode featuring Don at his farm in the Black Mountains of Wales was filmed in one day.

Now in his 70s, Don’s passion for the natural world shines through. Interviewing him felt like a genuine conversation with a friend, helped by the fact that filming took place on his farm, his sanctuary. Hosting the team in his kitchen and sharing lunch on his patio, we observed birds of prey through his binoculars as we chatted about the local landscape. Monty described how the bluebells and the violets are “the ghosts of forests before.” His golden retriever, Ned, was always nearby.

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Barbour’s social-led series has been running since October 2023, with each video featuring an individual who lives by the brand’s values. Whether or not they are celebrities or influencers rarely matters. This is not the point. Rather, each show is designed as a true collaboration and conversation.

Despite the streamlined, super-quick turnaround, this initiative represents one of the most popular pieces of Barbour’s organic content. And while aspirational, the key to its success is authenticity. Rather than arriving at a shoot with lots of heavy lighting equipment, we operate a tight-knit team. Our recently implemented Super 8 filming techniques have also fed into the nostalgic, romantic, authentic, almost vintage feel.

With each episode, our teams reach out to relevant individuals and manage narrative development. But we tell a different story each time.

Following a day’s shoot, the next day we move straight into edit and post-production. The client then reviews footage and we make social edits. But the work is rapid, propelled by a clearly articulated brand vision.

What drives the strategy and makes the work sing is remaining true to the root of the idea. The series must never feel forced. The point is to engage through real people aligned with the luxury brand’s values such as the importance of craft, community and the natural world.

Celebrating a slower pace of life through content celebrating nature, community, heritage and the British countryside is a privilege. In a world saturated with content aiming to sell, the series represents an opportunity to create something different.

While Monty, who has been a staple of British television for over three decades, was the perfect embodiment of Barbour values, we have also enjoyed conversations with a diverse array of individuals. These range from an East London-based cyclist to the owner of Britain’s highest pub, the Tan Hill Inn in the Yorkshire Dales.

These stories tell themselves when there is trust, shared vision and genuine marriage of values. The series is in itself a testament to the importance of craft, executed with patience and care.