Looking Back, Moving Forward

When Farah was named winner of the Drapers menswear brand of the year 2011, it was another stop on what has been a decidedly trans Atlantic journey. Farah was originally a Texas-based manufacturer of workwear and military uniforms, but in the 1920s it crossed over to the UK and decades later found itself embraced by British youth culture of the 1970s and 1980s.

Following a successful creative pitch, Barber Design has developed the new Farah Vintage concession concept for House of Fraser and implemented the design into several trial sites within the UK. Some of the Barber team still recall when, 30 years ago, Farah was clearly the label of choice for those fashion savvy hipsters in the coffee shop, the Mods cruising along Brighton seafront, the Skinheads, the Rude Boys and the Rockabilly rebels lounging in the bikers’ caff.

Since that heyday the label has retained its cult status, and 2007 saw a clever rebranding for Farah Vintage. Barber are excited to play a part in taking this heritage to a new generation of men who demand distinctive and well-cut clothes with which to build their own style.

Like the Drapers jury, Barber can appreciate how Farah Vintage has struck a chord in today’s market by combining trend-led items with more classic pieces. There’s the familiar, sharply tailored slim cut, but now utilising more contemporary colours and materials. So the concept that Barber created for the high street stores and concessions had to be in keeping with the Farah Vintage brand and ensure that Farah’s specific merchandising requirements were met. Farah were delighted with the result, and asked that the concept design be developed further to meet site specific requirements, manufacturing detail and production to launch the brand onto the high street.

2011 saw the store concept arrive at two branches of House of Fraser, with Barber overseeing each aspect right up until handover. It rapidly proved a success, leading a member of the Farah team to assert that “the new look and feel complements the product really well and gives a nod to the vintage aspect of the brand by using traditional materials and finishes, but updated in a contemporary, slick way. We are very pleased with the results confirms the Farah team.

In early 2012 the Farah Vintage concession concept journeyed over the Channel to Citadium – four floors of the hottest and most credible brands in the heart of Paris. The French capital enforces its own regulations, but Barber ensured that the Citadium concession was designed and manufactured in full compliance.

So where next for Farah Vintage? Now established for many as a must-have label, each group will continue to interpret the brand within their own style. Barber Design are helping create retail spaces that serve Farah’s rich heritage, style and energy, inspiring men everywhere to rediscover the distinct look of Farah Vintage for themselves.