The Miller Brothers founded Baracuta in 1937 in the heart of Manchester - known as one of the rainiest cities in the UK. Their mission was to create an outerwear brand that would offer stylish protection from the rainy British weather. They chose an exotic name knowing their brand would eventually make it overseas. The gears were set in motion after John and Isaac Miller saw a gap in the market for a practical yet stylish golf jacket. They played regularly at Manchester Golfclub where they saw fellow golfers struggling to move around and stay comfortable in their coats and jackets while they played, especially when it rained. They put their thinking caps on and in 1937 they came up with the iconic G9 Jacket. The name was also clearly thought through as ‘G’ stands for Golf and ‘9’ stands for the 9 holes in the golf course. However, the Miller Brothers felt there was still something missing so they set out to find a key feature that would make their brand stand out, a so-called signature touch. They approached Lord Lovat - Brigadier Simon Christopher Joseph Fraser, the 25th clan chief of the Clan Fraser of Lovat in Scotland and asked him if they could use his family tartan in their brand. Long story short, he agreed and in 1938, they finally produced one of the most famous jackets in the world, the first ever G9 Harrington Jacket. They operated out of a small garment factory in Manchester, it was the start of something very special.

The company grew both locally and internationally, exploding in popularity in the ‘40s and ‘50s. For many years, the iconic G9 was designed and crafted in the Chorlton Street factory in rainy Manchester. Back then Baracuta was viewed as a true British icon and still is to this day. The rainwear pieces were given nicknames like Topliner, The Convertible, Derry, Coronation and Classical. The products were designed to not only protect the wearer from the rain but to do so in style. The first international ad campaign was launched during this time period which caused an immense butterfly effect to happen. The Miller brothers came up with snappy advertising slogans like, “Perfection in rain protection”, “Step out in a Baracuta” and “Ready for the rain”. Baracuta was growing exponentially.

TThe 50’s saw Baracuta experience a major expansion. The brothers divided up their roles in the company and Isaac Miller headed off to the United States to open up a sales and marketing office in the world-famous Empire State Building. Soon after, the Paul Stuart store in New York began stocking Baracuta. This was a huge step into the American market for the brand. During this period, high-profile celebrities were also seen wearing the G9 Jacket in Hollywood movies, like James Dean and Elvis Presley, and on the cover of famous magazines. Baracuta was everywhere you looked and soon made its way to Ivy League campuses where students began to introduce Baracuta’s G9 Jacket to their daily wardrobe while also hanging posters of celebrities wearing G9 jackets on their fraternity walls. This was the precise moment when the jacket crossed over from being a golf jacket to being a lifestyle jacket.

In 1964, the famous actor Ryan O’Neal, who played the character Rodney Harrington in the sitcom Peyton Place, was known for wearing a Baracuta G9 in almost every episode. This caused a ripple effect and catapulted Baracuta into even greater stardom. Following this, a man named John Simmons, who was a huge fan of Peyton Place, opened up the Ivy Shop where he displayed Baracuta’s G9 Jacket in the window with the writing “Harrington Jacket” beside it. Since that moment, the G9 Jacket was simultaneously known as the Harrington Jacket. It is the one and only Harrington Jacket and it has since been copied time and time again by various brands, proving it to be an iconic garment.
Shortly after, Eric Clapton was seen wearing a Baracuta G9 Harrington Jacket on the rock/pop music TV show ‘Ready, Steady Go!’ with his band, The Yardbirds. Just like today, Baracuta was everywhere.

As Baracuta is well known in the football realm, they decided to supply the winning English World Cup squad with specially tailored coats known as “The Mexican” or the Ramsey Raincoat. The name comes from Sir Alfred Ramsey who was seen wearing a Baracuta G9 Jacket the evening before England’s win over West Germany. Baracuta’s momentum continued to grow with more high-profile celebrities sporting the G9 in various Hollywood films like Frank Sinatra in ‘Assault on a Queen’, Steve McQueen in ‘The Thomas Crown Affair’ and Christopher Reeve in ‘Superman 2’. Baracuta had officially made its mark on Hollywood, and it was only just the beginning. Baracuta’s constant recognition by celebrities and athletes solidified its continuous presence and growth in the world.

Baracuta started to export globally, gracing the shores of Europe and Australia, where the G9 Harrington Jacket officially made its way Down Under thanks to all the publicity it had been getting from celebrities, athletes, TV, films, newspapers and magazines. By receiving all of this exposure, Baracuta’s British values were able to spread throughout the world. The Miller Brothers’ hometown brand became a worldwide success.

One of the most famous golfers in history, Arnold Palmer, launched his rainproof, windproof and highly comfortable Golf Jacket line with Baracuta. It was a limited-edition collection with very few pieces up for grabs, making it almost impossible to find and was sought after by everyone. The jackets featured Arnold Palmer’s signature on the inside making them a collector’s item. Today, those who are lucky enough to be in possession of these once-off jackets are said to hold rare golf heirlooms.

The G9 and G4's international reputation was now crossing over from Ivy League and started to be picked up by various youth subcultures. Over these decades, the G9 and G4 were revolutionised in terms of who wore them and how they were worn. The first subculture to start wearing Baracuta’s G9 and G4 Jackets were the Mods, who came to prominence after the release of the albums by The Who and Small Faces. Mod culture saw the jackets as the symbol of a new modern style. They were known to wear them as their “go to piece” or as their signature subculture look. Soon after there was an explosion of various subcultures who also adopted Baracuta’s G9 and G4 Jackets as their favourite wardrobe staple, from Ska, Skinheads, Punks and British Rockers who contributed to their growing status with their own aspirations of freedom. Early Skinheads who worshipped reggae and the rude boy style started to wear Baracuta’s G9. To finish off their shaved head look, they wore boots, shirts with braces, topped off with the G9 Harrington Jacket.
Thanks to the UK Punk scene and bands like The Clash, Baracuta’s Harrington Jacket further cemented its hallmark status, ending up a sought-after coat of arms for pop culture. Each group had a visually different style and taste. However, the G9 Harrington and the G4 gave each group a sense of self, a sense of identity. These subcultures didn’t see the jackets just as a fashion piece. They wore them because they helped them to express themselves and also gave them the confidence to do so. Baracuta became a one stop shop for people of all genders and backgrounds.
During these years many personalities and bands in the subculture scene were spotted sporting Baracuta’s G9 and G4 Jackets: The Clash at their iconic Times Square concerts, Razorlight for their meeting with Nelson Mandela, Franz Ferdinand on the cover of the Sunday Times Weekend Magazine and Noel and Liam Gallagher from Oasis to name but a few. In the 90’s and 00’s, Baracuta’s G9 and G4 Jackets remained a classic clothing piece for the Britpop music scene.
Baracuta’s G9 Harrington Jacket, along with the G4 Jacket are two classics which have adapted like no other garment before. Whether it’s because of the evolution of fashion, or the passage of time. They were always ready to adjust to different styles and subcultures, while defining trends of entire generations, from Mod to Punk, without ever changing its core look. They are constantly being reinvented through the wearer’s personality, experiences and style.

Baracuta celebrated 70 years in business and decide to celebrate the link between the iconic Harrington Jacket and the celebrities who have worn Baracuta over the years. This immense celebration resulted in three limited edition G9 Jackets to be designed in honour of Elvis Presley, Steve McQueen and Frank Sinatra – three Baracuta icons, including their personal quotes printed on the inside. Only seventy pieces of each jacket were ever made making them a collector’s item. This anniversary project received global coverage as everyone wanted to get their hands on these limited edition Baracuta G9 Harrington Jackets.
Soon after Baracuta’s 70th year Anniversary, Daniel Craig was spotted wearing the iconic G9 Harington in the Blockbuster Film ‘Quantum of Solace’. Baracuta’s link to cinema was standing strong, so much so that in the years to follow there was an inundation of actors wearing Baracuta - like Tom Cruise in ‘Knight and Day’, Jason Statham in ‘Killer Elite’, Tom Hardy in ‘Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy’, Bradly Cooper in ‘The Hangover Part II’, Damian Lewis in ‘Stolen’, Bryan Cranston in ‘Why Him?’, Mark Wahlberg in ‘All the Money in the World’, Jamie Foxx in ‘Sleepless’ and Leonardo Di Caprio in ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’. This influx in popularity set Baracuta’s everlasting presence in stone forever.

WP Lavori in Corso acquired Baracuta in 2012, an Italian company which holds very similar values to Baracuta. After having taken over as the mother company, they took the opportunity to hold its official launch at Pitti Immagine Uomo in Florence. The party event went back through the previous 75 years of the brand and took the opportunity to talk about the close link between the legendary G9 Harrington Jacket and the world of cinema and music. Four highly skilled DJs and VJs showcased Baracuta’s success over the last 75 years. In attendance were DJs Norman Jay, Gilles Peterson, Eddie Piller, Dean Rudland, international and national VIP guests. Baracuta’s SS13 collection was also presented during the event – the first one since its new ownership.

Baracuta opened its flagship store in Milan on 24, Via de Amicis in 2016. After long consideration, the brand felt it was the most strategic location to open its doors. Milan is Italy’s multicultural capital and it’s an accessible meeting point for different cultures and backgrounds. Like many of Baracuta’s garments, the whole store is lined with the signature Fraser Tartan. They took inspiration from typical British architecture and decided to change up the exterior instead of going for a typical Italian shop front, Baracuta made it their mission to maintain their quintessential British charm by going with Georgian style architecture.

In October 2017, Baracuta organised The Iconic Soul Night which was the first event to be held to celebrate the famous G9 Jacket in Base Milano. The place was transformed into a dancehall and was inspired by 60’s and 70’s British subcultures like the Mods. The dance contest had a special guest judge, Lauren Fitzpatrick, an actress and dancer who starred in Gucci’s Pre-Fall 2017 film as well as alongside Pharell Williams during one of his London performances. To keep the Mod theme alive, Eddie Piller was on the decks along with Enrico Lazzeri aka DJ Henry. It was most certainly an evening to remember.

2019 was a year to remember for Baracuta as it was the start of various impressive brand collaborations that were to continue to the present day. It all began with Magnum Photos, one the most important photo agencies in the world, founded in 1947 by Robert Capa, Henri Cartier-Bresson, George Rodger and David Seymour. The team set out to tell the story of the Baracuta G9 Harrington Jacket which was the main attraction of an exclusive visual installation through photo and video instalments, some of which included a shot of James Dean in Times Square, as he was also known to wear Baracuta jackets. Baracuta has since had a long list of collaborations: M1992, Engineered Garments, Sebago, Vault by Vans, Byborre, Wacko Maria, Palace, Needles, Jaguar, Noah, Slowboy and many others. Since 1937, Baracuta has stayed relevant over time, remaining a go to brand for all age groups of different social backgrounds and subcultures.

Baracuta went on a round-the-world tour to visit various countries where consumers had the chance to customise their Baracuta Jackets live in store. These jackets were given a makeover by a creative London based painter C.J. Pidlaoan. The tour made its way to some of the most important cities in the world, visiting boutiques in Paris, London, Copenhagen, Tokyo, Madrid and Milan. These cities were carefully selected due to their accessibility and multicultural population - full of people of different backgrounds. C.J. Pidlaoan also painted on the back and chest of Baracuta’s most iconic jacket, which represented a symbol from each stop along the tour. For example, in London a Vespa in the colours of the Union Jack Flag was depicted on the G9 Harrington Jacket.

Baracuta collaborated with Jaguar on The Next Classic Guide, starting in October 2021 and finishing eight months later in May 2022. The Next Classic Guide was a Fashion-Motive collaboration created by the two brands with the aim of finding what tomorrow we would call “a classic”. The partnership between Baracuta and Jaguar was finalised through the creation of a bespoke Baracuta inspired E-PACE car and a customised Baracuta G9 Harrington Jacket featuring the Jaguar logo. These limited-edition pieces were the forefront of the collaboration. The Baracuta-esque Jaguar E-PACE travelled between eight European cities picking up highly talented creators along the way who helped in finding the next classic. The final stop on the European road trip was in San Paolo Converso Church in Milan where The Next Classic Experience was held. A visually immersive event featuring a creative installation by the young and talented creatives who had a free pass in giving a new personality to their G9 Jackets. The customised Jaguar E-PACE was also on display in the church. It was undoubtedly a roaring success.