PB Birthday Celebration

A Word from Kendall & Justine

Seven years ago, we started Poppy Barley to create better fitting boots. The company we’ve grown into is a reflection of our team, customers and community who keep driving us forward. As founders, we spend most of our time imagining the future of Poppy Barley and our commitment to rethinking every step of the footwear industry. Birthdays give pause for reflection. The Poppy Barley journey has always included Mexico, a country we love and remain deeply committed to for ethically manufacturing our products. To celebrate 7 years, we’re toasting Mexico. We’re celebrating by (re)introducing you to our factories, and showcasing Javier Servin, a Mexican ceramist we love. To really get festive, we’ve selected a handful of products from each Mexican factory to share with you at special birthday prices. ´Con todo nuestro cariño para el pueblo mexicano, Kendall & Justine

Party with Us … Online!

Starting on Tuesday, November 5, we selected limited-edition products from our Mexican factories to offer a special birthday pricing. (available online only, no exceptions. Limited quantities. No price adjustments on previous purchases. Not available on made-to-order products)

Fiesta with Us … In-Store!

If you live in Edmonton or Calgary, we’re getting extra festive with a full-blown birthday party on Saturday, November 9 starting at 9:30am Southgate Mall and Market Mall. In-store, you’ll find:

• Exclusive Javier Servin ceramics available only in-store.
• The perfect photo op with photobooths
• Mexican sodas from Jarritos and festive sugar cookies.
• Product accessory collaboration launches with From Rachel and Urban Drawer.
• … and these incredible best-selling Poppy Barley products at fiesta prices! (available in-store only, no exceptions. Limited quantities. No price adjustments on previous purchases. Not available on made-to-order products)

Javier Servin Ceramics - In-Store Only

In 2013, Poppy Barley founders Kendall and Justine Barber, made their second trip to Mexico to meet with shoe factories. On this trip, Justine and Kendall travelled to nearby Guanajuato, a city known for its silver mining history and colonial architecture. Exploring the narrow streets, alleyways and tunnels, they discovered the ceramic studio of Javier Servin. Captivated by the artisanal, handmade ceramics, they purchased a handful of coffee mugs to bring home. With every trip to Mexico, their collection of Javier Servin ceramics grew to include fruit bowls, plates, water jugs and more. To celebrate Poppy Barley’s relationship with Mexico and our deep love for artisanal products, a collection of Javier Servin’s ceramics will be available in-store. Due to the fragile nature of the products and limited quantities, the ceramics are not available online.

Poppy Barley Mexico Factories

Poppy Barley began its manufacturing in León, a city of two million people located in the state of Guanajuato, Mexico, approximately three hours north of Mexico City. Often referred to as “The Shoe Capital of the World,” León has been making shoes since 1645, and it is this centuries-old history of craftsmanship convinced us to set up production there. Lupita’s Footwear Factory Lupita’s Footwear Factory is part of Poppy Barley’s origin story. On our first trip to Mexico, we visited countless factories - none were interested in working with us. We had no company, no customers, no product, just a dream of making boots. On that first trip, we hired a translator to accompany us on factory visits. Every night, our translator would go home and share with her family our factory rejections. On our second last day in Leon, our translator’s twelve year old daughter, Maria sent her mom a text message saying a classmate of hers could make the shoes for us. We drove across town to meet Lupita, the owner of a small factory. Lupita said YES to us - and seven years later, she plays an integral role to Poppy Barley. Fernando’s Footwear Factory This factory was established by Fernando ten years ago. While Fernando’s factory is large and capable of producing 8,000 pairs of shoes per week, his lifelong dream has been to own a small, high-end factory that focuses on top quality materials, small-batch manufacturing and the art of shoemaking. Together we created a small area within his factory dedicated to Poppy Barley footwear production. José and Maria’s Leather Bag Factory Husband-and-wife-team José and Maria moved from Spain to Mexico in 1989 to create a better life for their family. Making handbags in their kitchen, they invested $2000 USD to buy a leather-cutting table, a used sewing machine and a trip to L.A. to purchase sheepskin imported from Europe. Nowadays their son Sebastian is in training to take over the family business. The vision was (and continues to be) to make the highest quality products. In 2018 the factory installed solar panels on the roof and now run on 100% solar power (taking advantage of the fact that Leon is one of the sunniest places in the world.) Read more about all our factories. Learn how Poppy Barley screens our factories to ensure adherence to our ethical manufacturing standards, a critical component of our B Corporation Certification.