Barrie | 7 Signature Chanel Cashmere Styles: Vintage Colors, Denim Cashmere &Scottish-Made...

Barrie is a ready-to-wear brand launched by Chanel after acquiring one of its longtime supply chain partners—a century-old Scottish cashmere mill. The designers all come from Chanel. Previously, Barrie only produced fabrics and did not make garments. Now, Barrie is the most expensive cashmere brand in the UK, on par with top Italian cashmere brands. It offers both menswear and womenswear, but with a stronger focus on womenswear.

Although designed in Paris (by Chanel designers), Barrie’s headquarters and manufacturing have always remained in Hawick. The Chanel Group places great emphasis on preserving traditional Scottish craftsmanship and has consistently upheld a Made in Scotland approach.

Chanel’s acquisition of Barrie aligns with its strategy over the past decade: acquiring upstream manufacturers in its supply chain. In recent years, both the Prada Group and Zegna Group have followed a similar strategy—buying companies that produce wool, cashmere, silk, denim, embroidery, and textiles, with an emphasis on Italian and traditional French/British craftsmanship.

In addition to Barrie, Chanel’s cashmere network includes Cariaggi. In 2024, through Barrie, they also invested in British patterned cashmere yarn brand Todd & Duncan. The cashmere mélange yarns in the Barrie 2025 collection pictured below are likely made from Todd & Duncan’s yarns, as previous collections mostly featured solid colors.

Todd & Duncan yarns have become more familiar to the Chinese market over the past 4–5 years. In 2020, Chinese wool and cashmere manufacturer Xinao Group acquired 100% of Todd & Duncan, so mélange cashmere sweaters have also become quite common in China. Besides Todd & Duncan, Xinao’s own brands—Cashfeel and Newchuwa—also produce good wool products and are fabric suppliers to many luxury brands.

Thanks to support from the Chanel Group, Barrie also has strong distribution channels in China. Among the cashmere brands carried by Lane Crawford, Barrie and Brunello Cucinelli are the most prominent.

With its vibrant colors, eye-catching patterns, drapey and thick fabrics, and some Chanel-style designs, plus the fact that it’s one of the rare brands to still manufacture all categories in Scotland, I was instantly drawn to Barrie. I've been wanting to get a pair of Barrie’s cashmere straight-leg trousers (among all cashmere brands, theirs are the best in pants and offer the richest variety in styles). Hopefully I can get one next year.

Barrie’s designs are directly inspired by Chanel, which is why it has many Chanel-style cashmere sets. Many of the signature patterns mentioned in the article on Scottish Tartans, Tweeds, and Gingham patterns appear in Barrie collections, with matching tops and bottoms.

Barrie has a distinct style with many unique knitting techniques that make it stand out among cashmere brands. As a brand founded in 2014, like many others established from the 1990s to the 2020s, it places emphasis on social responsibility and sustainability.

Chapter Overview:

01 Founding Background
02 Introduction to Barrie's 7 signature techniques and pattern designs. The denim cashmere series is the brand's core bestseller—60% of Barrie’s offerings use this fabric. Next is the Gold Button French-style collection.
03 Barrie’s Iconic basics collection—cashmere trousers

01

Like Pringle of Scotland, Barrie also hails from Hawick. It was founded in 1903 by Walter Barrie and Robert Kersel. For over a century, it has been a fabric manufacturer for high-end fashion houses, and has supplied cashmere to Chanel since the 1920s. Chanel acquired Barrie in 2012, and in 2014 relaunched it as a namesake menswear and womenswear cashmere ready-to-wear brand (2014AW), opening its first store in Paris (and later in London). It has upheld traditional Scottish craftsmanship, with all items proudly Made in Scotland.

Barrie balances tradition with modernity—its textile equipment includes both traditional Scottish looms and modern Japanese machines. The core "Denim Cashmere" series is a clear reflection of this fusion. Each Barrie cashmere piece typically involves about 40 Scottish artisans in its creation, with techniques passed down through generations. Chanel’s acquisition of this mill was driven by a desire to preserve and protect this craftsmanship. Although the design takes place in Paris, the brand’s operations have remained headquartered in Hawick—a small town on the Scotland-England border.

Additionally, Johnston of Elgin has three stores in Scotland: besides its founding location in northern Elgin and another in Edinburgh, the third one is also in Hawick. These three Scottish cashmere brands are among the few in the UK that still hold international recognition.

Below is Augustin Dol-Maillot, the current creative director of Barrie, who previously worked with Virginie Viard and Karl Lagerfeld.

Note the buttons on the table—in the following sections, you’ll see that Barrie uses a wide variety of buttons: silver, gold, hollowed, and raised designs.

These cashmere fabrics come in vibrant colors, often adorned with large “B” letters, bold gold buttons, and 3D floral motifs made through Intarsia (inlaying different materials)—all of which are signature elements of Barrie and feature in its iconic pieces.

02

Thanks to its talented design team—comprising designers who previously worked at Chanel—Barrie has developed a number of iconic pieces as a cashmere brand. Here’s a curated look at some of its standout styles. However, with the rise of “quiet luxury” and minimalism over the past decade, Barrie’s colorful, Scottish tartan-inspired pieces haven’t been top sellers. Instead, their solid-colored items tend to perform better. (My previous article on Scottish tartans and tweeds also received relatively little attention, likely due to its mismatch with current fashion trends—though I personally love the vintage British vibe.)

Barrie’s cashmere tends to be thick, and the silhouettes and seams are a bit loose and relaxed—not overly refined, which makes the handcrafted nature visible. The knits are mostly in stockinette or four-needle stitch. Whether it’s a cape, cardigan, skirt, or dungarees, the texture remains consistent.

Let's walk through key women's pieces to explore Barrie’s design language—most of these characteristics also apply to the menswear.

Intarsia 3D

Intarsia is a traditional woodworking or knitting technique that creates patterns by inlaying contrasting materials—be it yarns in knitwear or woods in carpentry. Floral intarsia involves incorporating flower motifs into the fabric itself, producing a 3D effect, rather than simply printing or embroidering it on top.

Barrie applies this technique mainly to tops—long sleeves, cardigans, and sweaters—featuring 3D logo or floral elements on the front and sleeve sides, adding contrast to the base texture.

The Intarsia 3D logo cardigans in cashmere are arguably the best representation of this design—highly recommended over their summer T-shirts, which tend to have a more ordinary fit.

Brunello Cucinelli also uses feather-like motifs in its womenswear to add detail and dimension.

Contrast Trims

Think classic school uniforms—like varsity jackets or British prep school sweaters—with contrasting or striped ribbing at the collar, cuffs, and hem. Barrie incorporates this nostalgic detail across pullovers, vests, cardigans, and pants, using a rich palette to create layered visual impact.

Barrie’s distinctive colors and design sensibility place it in a league of its own among cashmere brands. If Miu Miu had a next-gen sibling with a stronger focus on quality—Barrie could be it.

Pearl Embellished Florals

Like Intarsia, Barrie’s floral details are 3D—but these are built with beaded embellishments resembling miniature brooches. They’re playful and feminine, as if twenty tiny pins were delicately scattered across the garment.

Sometimes, these motifs are applied to matching top-and-bottom sets. Gorgeous, and hopefully durable!

Barrie’s womenswear also features many vests—a rarity in cashmere lines—alongside cashmere shorts, pencil skirts, dungarees, and jumpsuits.

The embellishments aren’t limited to florals—stars are also popular. Take a look at these pants: Barrie’s sport-style trousers tend to be slightly baggy with tapered ankles.

Pencil Stripes & Gingham

As a Chanel brand, stripes are inevitable—whether horizontal or vertical. French minimalist labels like Celine, Prune Goldschmidt , and Eric Bompard—also discussed in my article on niche French/German cashmere brands—often use these motifs. Pencil stripes (fine, closely spaced stripes) are especially common, often paired with gold buttons in a nautical palette of navy and white.

Barrie’s gold-button series—featuring vests, cropped cardigans, sweaters, and capes—embodies this style in a more luxurious and substantial way.

Occasionally, Barrie uses wider-spaced vertical stripes too, but pencil stripes remain a specialty. The color palette stays light and youthful, often in coordinated top-and-bottom sets.

These pencil stripes also appear in accessories like scarves. Currently, the Barrie website features an Oxford-themed capsule collection centered around these pencil stripe looks.

Barrie also creates gingham (check) sets. As explained in the Scottish tartan/tweed article, gingham is widely used in labels like Miu Miu and Prada for its youthful, girlish charm.

Tweed

Only Barrie could create a tweed suit made from 100% cashmere. While brands like Soonil from Korea and Crush Collection from Shanghai are still working with polyester and wool blends, Barrie has already released a tweed made entirely of cashmere. It’s a new arrival this year—and my first time seeing it.

Denim Cashmere

Barrie’s signature and core collection. Their denim cashmere fabric appears across jackets, vests, shorts, skirts, and trousers for both men and women. It's the first time I’ve seen a cashmere brand create a fabric that mimics the look of denim. Barrie promotes this as a flagship collection and gives it special attention on their official website.

With so many colors available, it’s clear how much Barrie values this denim cashmere line. This year’s versions feature distressed finishes, brushed texture, and fringes—details that weren’t present in earlier versions.

Barrie’s denim cashmere fabric is made of 65% cashmere and 35% cotton.

In addition to shorts, jackets, and vests also feature the fringed detailing.

Below is a best-selling classic denim cashmere piece from previous seasons, made from the same fabric. Even the stitching mimics denim styling.

Pay attention to Barrie’s women’s trousers—straight-cut with a subtle flare. Conservative yet fashionable.

Denim cashmere mini skirt.

This year they also released a Duncan mélange version with two colors on the front and back.

Denim cashmere workwear-style straight trousers.

Denim cashmere buttoned vest.

Denim cashmere pencil skirt.

Denim cashmere fishtail skirt.

Women’s denim cashmere strap jumpsuit.

Another first for me: a pair of suspenders made from cashmere fabric.

Men’s denim cashmere shirts—colors are more muted compared to women’s.

Gold Button

Whether men’s or women’s collections, the gold buttons—reminiscent of Celine’s carriage-style buttons—are very solid. Although the design and color aren’t as eye-catching as other series, the fabrics used are thick and sturdy, making these pieces reliable wardrobe staples.

The official website labels this line under “Gold Buttons.”

The gold button cardigans are unisex, though the women’s version comes in more colors and has a shorter, neater fit. The neckline also differs: polo collar for men, crew neck for women.

In 2025, Barrie released two new mélange colors for women: mint green and algae green.

Barrie’s gold button pullover—a shoulder-buttoned piece, essentially a cashmere version of Celine’s design.

The women’s vest resembles the men’s cardigan, but it’s oversized and slightly longer.

Barrie’s gold button cape sold well in Fall/Winter 2024. Both SKP-Select and Lane Crawford placed it prominently in their displays.

03

Iconic

Barrie’s Iconic series is not considered a signature design of the brand, mainly because many brands have produced similar styles. The Iconic collection uses relatively lightweight materials, is more affordable, and typically features a small side slit at the hem. The cut is loose, making it an entry-level option from Barrie.

I’ve seen similar cardigans from Sa Su Phi , Arch4 , Le Kasha, and Lisa Yang . Even on Taobao, this V-neck style is everywhere. It’s almost become the standard silhouette for cashmere cardigans, much like Miu Miu's version.

From left to right: Sa Su Phi, Arch4, Le Kasha, Lisa Yang

I personally bought the Arch version of this silhouette. It’s a bit thicker than Barrie’s and feels more practical. Compared to the Miu Miu-style cardigans, it’s warmer and has fewer buttons to deal with — very functional. I’m hoping to come across another one this winter, would love to get a second piece.

The hem of the Iconic pullover is well-shaped, but the fabric doesn’t feel great.

The square-cut back of the Barrie pullover resembles Sa Su Phi 's version.

Barrie’s Iconic pants reflect their signature style — a hybrid between scythe pants and flared pants.

All the pieces worn by the models below are from the Iconic series. Whether sweaters or pants, the side slit at the hem is a common design — now seen in many fashionable British and Italian cashmere brands.

Barrie’s Iconic skirts also feature a side slit.

Cashmere Trousers

It’s rare to see a cashmere brand that makes trousers this stylish — worth highlighting separately.

In addition to the scythe + flared trousers (also called bootcut), Barrie also makes carrot-shaped trousers with tapered ankles for both men and women. These are cut on the looser side.

Top image: womenswear. Bottom image: menswear. The fabric is also from the gold buttons series, so the trousers have gold button details and are thicker.

The same style exists in denim cashmere trousers for both men and women. These lean toward a straight-cut, with a slight curved blade effect and a stiffer fabric.

For women, the denim cashmere scythe-cut straight trousers are longer and come in more styles and colors.

All of Barrie’s denim cashmere collections are bestsellers. Compared to the Iconic series, the fabric is denser, and the craftsmanship and design are more refined.

Epilogue

Didn’t expect there would be this much to write about Barrie — the variety on the official website is incredible. It's been a while since I’ve come across a brand that checks all the boxes in terms of production, material, and design. Barrie had more promotional activity around 2014 and 2018, but not much in recent years — perhaps because its colorful and expressive aesthetic is better suited to times of economic recovery. I have high hopes for Barrie. When cashmere really comes back into fashion, it’ll surely be one of the top-tier brands.

In terms of fashion and quality, it's comparable to Sa Su Phi and Brunello Cucinelli — yet another discovery.

Youtube | WeChat: pamperherself