Iconic New Zealand fashion brands Barkers and McKinlays have put their heads together to come up with a classic Kiwi boot. The collection, featuring two leather and one suede boot styles, showcases the distinctive Barkers aesthetic combined with McKinlays high-quality traditional manufacturing.
Check out this video which highlights the work that goes into the Barkers x McKinlays collaborate range.
Barkers’ head of merchandise Paul Biddle said, ‘We wanted to create a really honest, genuine interpretation of a classic Kiwi boot style using premium NZ materials and honouring the incredible manufacturing skills of the team at McKinlays. So, two good Kiwi brands with plenty of heritage nutted out a contemporary design that brings traditional manufacturing techniques and materials together with modern, refined style. We love the result—shoes that look every bit as good as they feel.’
Since 1870, when Robert McKinlay arrived in Dunedin, McKinlays has been turning out sturdy, well-made footwear for people of Otago, New Zealand and the world. Now a fifth-generation Kiwi business, the shoes McKinlays produces still have a reputation for always going the distance—the perfect building block to design a contemporary shoe with style and substance in equal measure. Adding to the rock solid shoe engineering that’s made McKinlays famous, the boot designs were re-shaped and subtly evolved to bring the unique Barkers style to life.
Where possible, materials were sourced right here in New Zealand—including top grade leather from Tasman Leather in Whanganui. The premium suede was sourced from Italy. Hand-made by artisan shoemakers with decades in the trade, these shoes are a return to old-world craftsmanship, with a proud history stretching all the way back to New Zealand’s pioneer days.
BARKERS X MCKINLAYS: The Sahara Leather Boot in Brick & Chocolate, RRP $279.99 / The Sahara Suede Boot in Chocolate, RRP $279.99 {Available in selected Barkers stores and on www.Barkersclothing.com from Wednesday 4 June}