Shaun Crawford Is Creating Artistic Success On His Own Terms & Timeline: END. x Barbour Solway Re-Loved Project Interview

The legacy British heritage brand, Barbour collaborated with the Harlem-Born multidisciplinary artist Shaun Crawford on possibly the most unfiltered and politely subcultural manifesto product design since working with Supreme.

@endclothing x @barbour

Shaun Crawford spent a “trippy” few days in Newcastle Upon Tyne in the peak of late summer nights in the North Eastern city. From walks along the bridges by the water to visiting the Barbour team at their factory as the Shaun Crawford Solway jacket came to life from picking the style of the Solway jacket. Shaun Crawford has come in to shake things up in his own creative way with the iconic brand whilst retaining its DNA. 

From waxing the jacket to drawing his recognisable caricatures inspired by his son Lennox, each detail was carefully designed by Barbour and Crawford. Not to mention this was the final project for one of Barbour’s longest standing designer’s, Gary Janes before retirement. Making the freedom of this collaboration and risk taking even more understandable. After all, no matter how iconic the Barbour brand is, a cultural shakeup of punk and streetwear can only open the products to more eager customers. 

The artist presented the documentary film of his process with Barbour in designing the Solway Re-loved jacket at Soho's End store on a panel talk with the brand's team where fans and friends of the brand could see a first hand look at the jacket and Crawford's artwork.

Photography @fonziejones

We know that Barbour have that edge to them that opens the heritage brand to various cultural collaborations. How did you want to come in and take your “Harlem art” spin on this?

I've actually had a lot of Barber jackets. My introduction to fashion, I guess is through Ralph Lauren. I started out like 13/14 religiously, head to toe, and I had a wax cotton jacket and one day I was on the train, when I was really young, I saw a guy with a different wax cotton jacket. I asked him,”what is that?” He said it was a Barbour jacket? So from then, I've known about the brand and I've owned several pieces. I'm always dressed kind of preppy. 

There is a rawness to the Solway Re-loved jacket that is unapologetically personal to Shaun Crawford. The safety pin that leans into his punk side and also serves as one hint to the idea Shaun initially had of placing these all over the front of the jacket, but again, compromise is key and this collaboration serves as an example of leverage and understanding from both collaborators of each other's work. “I wanted to go cross pumps. I wanted to fill it with safety pins, have tons of little patches, little stitches and all of that stuff. I've been working on raw Canvas using, like, using oil sticks. And it's basically the same concept as a wax jacket, the oil bars are like 80% wax.”

I'm from the East side so right off of my neighborhood is the Upper East Side, which is one of the richest neighborhoods. You see a lot of older people dress really well. Funny thing is that Harlem gets a lot of style from that era. If you want to wear what the rich people wear, we just put our own spin on it. You might wear it a little bigger or wear it with a gold chain. I thought it would be really cool to put the lines of a track jacket on the inside. I still wanted to have that pump aesthetic to it. When we were in the factory they showed me the ocelot fur, so it all lined up perfectly.

@endclothing x @barbour

After back and fourth, discussing ideas and how Shaun’s Harlem style could be dialed into the style of Barbour’s brand whilst also staying authentic to something he would wear that speaks to his personal art and taste. Taking a strategic route, Shaun’s background working for Goyard, Givenchy and Supreme to name a few, supported his design process when making as much from his mind work in the real process as possible. “I thought it would be really cool to put the lines of a track jacket on the inside. I still wanted to have that pump aesthetic to it. When we were in the factory they showed me the ocelot fur, so it all lined up perfectly.”

You can tell there was a leverage to design in this jacket with the boundaries that were pushed. Did you have any doubts or did you know this was something the audience would love?

I got to see pieces that like, over 100 years old, things that were like collaborations that are never coming out. I knew it'd be great. I had full confidence in it, I just wanted to do something just completely different. When I got the call to do it, I was like, hell yeah, 100%. Anything that I make, a T-shirt, jeans, jacket, whatever, I honestly make them all for myself. I don't really care if anybody else spoke for me. At the end of the day it’s coming home with me.

How do you expect your community in New York to react to the piece?

New York is the sister city. It's very similar. London is ancient York, we are New York!

But also, I will end up wearing this in the country. My wife's family has a home in New Hampshire, there's a Barbour outlet there. So I will wear this out.

We know you had an amazing story from childhood of always being encouraged with your work and graffiti especially from family. How do you continue to have the confidence to break artistic and creative boundaries? 

I just want to do it for me, I don't care if anybody else likes it. People do seem to dig it, I think the people that walk with me are very similar to me. We're all  trying to make it happen. It's just all about trying. 

Also, I think because I had such a late start as a professional artist. I didn't really start trying to do this professionally… It's been 10 years now, I'll be 47 next November, so it took a long time. I was never really that confident in my work but then I started to really pay attention to what's out there. I've been inspired by a lot of my friends that are much younger than me that went out there just doing their thing. The internet has made things flat, but it also helps you connect with so many people and that's a good thing. Different people learn from different people, yeah, try to learn something.

@endclothing x @barbour

There is a rawness to the Solway Re-loved jacket that is unapologetically personal to Shaun Crawford. The safety pin that leans into his punk side and also serves as one hint to the idea Shaun initially had of placing these all over the front of the jacket, but again, compromise is key and this collaboration serves as an example of leverage and understanding from both collaborators of each other's work. “ I wanted to go cross pumps. I wanted to fill it with safety pins, have tons of little patches, little stitches and all of that stuff.”

However iconic Barbour is, blending its heritage with elements of punk and streetwear offers a natural way to connect with a style-conscious and more contemporary audience.