They're finally coming back!
Our puffer jackets have been extremely popular, with all the most sought after sizes selling out within a few months. But we know that we've been out of stock for way too long.
Personally, when I shop online and things are out of stock in the size and colour I would like, it always bugs me that I can't snap it up straight away - especially if I keep an eye out for the item coming back and it never seems to happen. So it only makes sense that I am completely transparent with you, as I am pretty sure this is the case with some of you who have been patiently waiting and asking us when/if they are ever coming back.
So, why has it taken us this long?
We used to use a very well versed pet manufacturer - which is also used by our friends across the pond whose brand is similar to the name ‘Jax Cone’... When we first went to restock our puffers we wanted to make a few amendments based on the feedback you guys had given us (such as slightly reducing the filling and adding a harness hole to the back). We waited eagerly for the new samples to arrive and this is what they were like when they did...
Ok, so I have definitely made a few little errors in my time (we are after all, only human), but let's dive in and look at why this was just not acceptable to be put straight back on the shelf with a little game of spot the difference…
Hmmmm, where to start.
Well firstly, it’s a totally different shape - one that isn’t inline with our technical drawings, and not to mention that the armholes now looked like they were designed for me rather than my dog.
So that is what I did. Although people were left annoyed I just couldn't see how I was ever going to start to build the apparel section of Barc London to the size and breadth we are working towards with this factory, so off to the drawing board I went.
With countless hours of my time including hiring two sourcing agents and inspecting lots of samples from various places, we eventually found exactly who we were looking for - a company with over 25 years of experience in the pet space, multiple locations and who also make outerwear for us humans, too.
I was excited that we finally had a solid solution and so we set about trying to perfect our jackets, still based on the suggestions and wants from you guys.
From the first release we had lots of feedback on sizing. So many of you brought, let's say, a size small which was too small, but when swapped for a Medium it was then too big. With too many pups between sizes, our first task was to add more sizes:
Here is the original 5, with large jumps, and above is our new line with small 5 cm increments up to our largest size.
We added the harness hole which was requested by many, reduced the filling slightly and changed it to recycled materials. We also added a zip protector at the top and bottom, so all of our pups fur doesn’t get caught.
And lastly, we added value by giving two choices of complimentary colours for the price of the original - the new jackets are now reversible:
So I guess this is a sorry for the long wait from us, and a thank you for being so patient. I hope seeing our amendments makes the wait worthwhile.
The puffers are coming back in stock in the next few weeks and they are just one of the few things we are excited to bring to market this year.
Keep your eyes peeled as we start to release a sneak peak of the new colours we are launching along with the launch date.
All coming very soon.
Sincerely Alex, and the team at Barc London.
