THE LEGEND OF STEVE MCQUEEN AND THE BARBOUR WAXED JACKET

His producers had initially forbidden him to participate in the competition - his health was too precious. Yet McQueen loved the adrenalin rush of risks and speed, and his participation in the race had already attracted the attention of the press and throngs of fans. The images of McQueen in the saddle, wearing a Waxed Jacket by Barbour, which was the long-time sponsor of the race, immediately went around the world, confirming him once again as a sex symbol for generations to come.   From that day, from the exciting moment when Hollywood’s most fascinating icon climbed onto his now historic Triumph TR6 Trophy with the Barbour Waxed Jacket belted at the waist and the American flag sewn on the chest, the legend of Steve McQueen and that of Barbour remained forever linked. McQueen was a practical man, but he knew the importance of personal style. The actor's encounter with the historic British brand founded in 1908 - which had developed the Barbour International motorcycle jacket specifically for the 1936 ISDT, and would be the standard for quality and functionality for the British military in the Second World War - was not accidental. All the riders in the race wore the International Jacket, but McQueen and his team had stopped in London on purpose to buy their jackets directly from Barbour.The secret of its appeal lay in its practicality and ruggedness, but also in those small perfectly made functional details that would make it an essential item in a man’s wardrobe in the future. The most iconic of all was without doubt the diagonal left breast pocket designed to allow the wearer easy access their maps, and which has been left unchanged ever since in the name of an undying tradition.