Canadian bespoke footwear brand starts sourcing in Brazil
25/05/2018
Founded in 2012 by sisters Kendall and Justine Barber, Poppy Barley (whose name celebrates the barleycorns and poppy seeds that cordwainers traditionally used to determine sizing in custom-made footwear) has grown strongly on the back of its (mostly) internet-based made-to-measure service. It tells customers how to take all the necessary measurements and then sources shoes, boots and sandals from artisan producers.
Originally, the company sourced all its product in Mexico. However, Kendall Barber recently gave details of a new partnership in Brazil and hinted at further expansion of its production base in future.
She said: “As Poppy Barley grows, we envision on-boarding factories around the world, while staying committed to our roots in Mexico. Different factories in different parts of the world allow Poppy Barley to explore new ways of working and experimenting with different footwear categories.”
The Brazilian footwear manufacturer that Poppy Barley will be working with is a company founded in 1979 in the city of Igrejinha in Rio Grande do Sul. It currently employs 43 people. The Brazil factory has “deep knowledge of crafting sandals”, she added, which cleared the path for the brand’s largest-ever collection of open-toed sandals in its summer 2018 range.
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