Barbour's magical Christmas advert sees South Tyneside firm teaming up with Paddington Bear again for 2022

The charming advert for South Tyneside-based Barbour has been released for Christmas 2022 and is the second time the British brand has teamed up with the fellow British icon – and there’s even a touching reference to the Queen.

When the famous bear goes Christmas shopping, he points out some “Ma’amalade” for a gift in a sweet nod to Paddington’s now iconic Jubilee scene with the late sovereign in which he says “Ma'amalade sandwich your Majesty?”

Barbour’s seasonal film includes the original Peggy Fortnum illustration style which has only ever been animated by Barbour.

The festive film follows the adventures of Paddington as he comes up with an idea for a thoughtful gift for his misunderstood and sometimes grumpy neighbour, Mr Curry.

Highlighting Paddington’s kindness and good intentions, it celebrates the joy of giving a very special present that means so much and also has an important message of sustainability.

The film focuses on Barbour’s Re-Loved initiative, which enables customers who no longer have a use for their Barbour wax jacket to hand it back in return for a voucher.

Barbour cleans, re-waxes and repairs the jacket ready for it to be ‘re-loved’ in a new home, thus extending the life of the jacket. No two Re-Loved jackets are the same, making each one unique.

Paul Wilkinson, Group Marketing Director & MD, USA, Barbour said: “We are delighted to feature Paddington in our Christmas film.

"Extending the life of our garments has been at the heart of our brand for over 100 years and through Barbour Re-Loved, a key focus of our Wax for Life initiative, we have been able to demonstrate in a humorous and sentimental way, the importance of upcycling and how much a thoughtful and unique present can mean particularly at Christmas time.

It’s a timely message with the issue of fast fashion and its impact on the environment hitting the headlines - and one that ties in with Barbour’s recent 100 year anniversary of re-waxing its jackets.

To mark the centenary, King Charles III, when Prince of Wales, visited the production factory at the Bede Industrial Estate in November 2021.

His Majesty met workers and unveiled a new plaque celebrating the opening of the Barbour Wax for Life Workshop.

The new monarch is famed for his passionate environmental campaigning, and was full of praise for Barbour’s century of sustainable practice through the company’s policy of re-waxing jackets to extend their lifespan and reduce the need for the production and purchase of new garments.

Re-waxing, or re-oiling as it was originally known, first appeared in the 1921 catalogue when Malcolm Barbour, the second generation of the Barbour family, began offering customers the chance to re-oil their oilskin jackets – and it’s a service that still continues today.

Paddington Bear also has decades of history.

Written by Michael Bond and illustrated by Peggy Fortnum, the first book, A Bear Called Paddington, was released in 1958 and remains a children’s firm favourite.