Maker Crush: The Barkers
The summer days are slowly getting shorter, the night breezes are getting a bit chillier, and our thoughts are already turning toward cooler weather wear. As far as we're concerned, it's never too early to think about our pup's fall wardrobes. And that's where The Barkers comes in. Their super-soft sweaters and classically-tailored jackets designs are less trend and more timeless. Read on to learn more about their stance on sustainable manufacturing, support of a local pet welfare organization, and all the up-and-coming fads they're seeing on the most stylish pups in Brooklyn.
Tell us all about The Barkers and why you decided to launch it.
When you think of Paris, New York & Milan, your next thought probably isn't "dog park"—but those are exactly the two worlds that we're bringing together. Like many people, we started spending a lot more indoor time with our furry friends. After a while you start to see just how special, unique, and unconditionally loving our dogs truly are, and we realized that if anyone has earned a bit of pampering, it's man's best friend. So, we decided to create a line that brings our pooches not just style, but also quality with The Barkers, an all-new fashion brand exclusively for our four-legged best friends! Founded in Brooklyn in 2020, The Barkers is a luxury dog brand offering modern styles in high-end Italian fabrics, with a major focus on sustainability and charitable giving. Our first season brings a focused collection of wardrobe essentials and accessories unlike anything you've seen before.
You're based in Brooklyn which is known for its trendsetting style. What are some of the newest pet trends you're seeing in your neighborhood?
Human luxuries have made their way to the pet space—dog spas, high quality pet food, pet resorts, and an entire array of organic/sustainable toys, beds, and accessories—even dog yoga! In Brooklyn, we noticed that so many people got puppies during covid, and, as a result, the neighborhood has boomed with new doggy day care spots, local dog walking services, and great local hospitality hang outs such as Bark Park and Le Doggie Cool daycare & coffee shop. It is great to see that a lot of local restaurants and bars are now welcoming our furry friends inside and treating them like VIP guests (offering your dog a bowl of water before you place your order yourself).
The Barkers is a huge proponent of creating high quality pieces using environmentally-friendly practices. Can you describe your process?
We're highly selective of the mills and weavers we work with and have chosen a handful of reputable Italian fabric mills that are known for sustainable practices like using circular fabrics and state-of-the-art water filtration & conservation systems, and even a number of recycled and repurposed fabrics. We use minimal packaging, which is biodegradable/post-consumer, and our leather products are crafted from meat industry bi-product.
We were happy to learn that one of your goals is to help underprivileged dogs - talk to us about your philanthropic efforts.
We've partnered with an awesome rescue and adoption organization called Badass Brooklyn, not only in direct funding, but also in featuring their dogs as some of our models and making it easy for our social media followers to learn more and even adopt the dogs with a few simple clicks.
What is your favorite piece from your collection and why?
The trench coat. There are just so many fine details—the broad collar, the flap pockets, the self-belt with leather buckle—and such a great fit that it's the perfect illustration of everything we want to achieve, its form and function at its best. Coming in at a close second are the puffer vests. They're just super fun pieces that work year-round and are reversible for a little color variation.
What is inspiring you most right now?
Our fur babies of course, without a doubt they bring light and laughter into our lives every day!