TRANSPARENCY
Community
LegaSea
As an island nation, the ocean is our lifeblood - it protects us and sustains us - so it’s important that we take care of it and its bounty. LegaSea aim to do just that. Established in 2012, they work through public outreach and fundraising to ensure that our fisheries are sustainable and can continue to provide our fishermen with an income.
100% of public donations go towards their work rebuilding and managing New Zealand’s fisheries, and preventing waste. To help, we have donated a range of t-shirts and caps for them to sell, with all proceeds going towards their initiative.
Gumboot Friday
We know that when guys like us come together and play our small part, we’ve got the power to make a real impact, which is why we’re proud to support Gumboot Friday, an initiative by charitable organisation I Am Hope, founded by Mike King.
Every third Friday of each month, for every purchase made, we’ll be giving $2 to Gumboot Friday and the incredible work they’re doing. 100% of these donations will go directly to counselling for kiwi kids and young people.
Movember Foundation
This is a big one for us, as men’s health is an important issue in New Zealand and one we’re passionate about. We interact and engage with men every day, it’s what we do.
Movember is a charity leading the charge to change the face of men’s health. Putting it simply, men are dying too young (for a multitude of reasons) and Movember aims to try and fix that by funding men’s health programmes, raising awareness and getting guys talking. They focus on four key health issues: prostate cancer, testicular cancer, mental health and physical inactivity.
Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride
As a men’s retailer with a long history in New Zealand, men’s health is incredibly important to us - and we support it wherever possible.
The Distinguished Gentleman's Ride is one such initiative; every September its riders don suits and get on their motorbikes to fundraise for men’s health - with proceeds donated to Movember. We help by providing prizes and running a pop-up Groom Room at the after-party, as well as raising awareness for their fundraising on our social channels.
Sir John Kirwan Foundation
A rugby icon and now a leading figure in the dialogue around mental wellbeing, Sir John Kirwan created this foundation to help school-aged children manage their anxiety and mental health.
We think this is an incredibly important initiative, so we’ve created a range of t-shirts to sell, with $20 from every one sold going directly to the Foundation.
Merge Cafe
This cafe on Auckland’s Karangahape Road doesn’t just do coffee, they're also making a difference for rough sleepers and the disadvantaged. We donate 3000 pairs of socks to Merge in our 'Socks for Souls' programme. Every 4th coffee purchased at Merge Cafe gives a pair of new Barkers socks to someone in need.
The Textile Reuse Programme
The level of production and consumption of clothing has ecological impacts that we want to reduce. The Textile Reuse Programme work with businesses and organisations worldwide, transforming fibre waste into valuable, marketable products. We’re the first retail brand to join their mission of transitioning organisations to circular systems that capture the value of clothing during and after use. They support us in analysing our textile waste streams, as knowing that where our clothes end up is just as important as where they’ve come from.
Salvation Army
At Barkers, we operate lean and sell through the majority of our stock through our Outlet stores. We hold less than 3% of aged stock. We never dump unsold clothing, anything we don’t sell in our stores is donated to local charities like the Salvation Army.