How did the Little Brother/Barkers collaboration get started?

Barkers approached me about 2 years ago, and at the time we weren’t really prepared to do it or in a position to do it, so we just put it on the back burner. Then we revisited it late last year and took it from there.

What’s the inspiration behind the first range?

I think it’s really about our customers. We haven’t gone too directional, we’ve just tried to do those really classic kind of simple cuts, and get some staples and good basics in there. Obviously there’s a nod to what’s happening in terms of trends with shirtings, but we’ve just tried to do what we always used to do quite well at Little Brother, and that’s have those really good basic utilitarian type pieces that work with everything.

How do you differentiate it from what’s already in the Barkers collection?

I think that our product does have its own handwriting. It’s got a very specific cut, I don’t think that we’re dumbing down our fit or our shape so it’s not going to fit everybody or suit everyone.

Tell me about the tee shirt prints.

I wanted to get a balance of what we’re known for - that iconic kiwi thing - without looking like we’re trying to rehash it too much.

But I think that you guys did a different thing because you did a self consciously kitsch New Zealand thing.

Yeah and we’re still trying to do that. And there’s a music and an art bent to what we do too. The Trekka thing was done because it was an iconic New Zealand vehicle, it was the only vehicle we ever manufactured here.

And it’s the same shape tee shirt as the old one?

Exactly the same, made by the same people we always used, it’s got a slightly different neck on it, (a bound neck instead of a ribbed neck).

What’s your favourite piece?

I really like the check shirts. I think they’re different to everything else that’s out there, they catch what we do really well. They’re good colours, they’re just that little bit off, they’re a really good reflection of what we’ve always done.