Barefoot (retailer)
| Company type | Privately owned |
|---|---|
| Industry | Fashion |
| Founded | 1958 Colombo, Sri Lanka |
| Founder | Barbara Sansoni |
| Headquarters | Colombo, Sri Lanka |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Dominic Sansoni (CEO) Barbara Sansoni (Chairperson) |
| Products | soft furnishings, fabrics, clothing, childrens toys |
| Website | http://www.barefootceylon.com/ |
Barefoot is a textile design company based in Sri Lanka, which exports its clothing and soft furnishings globally. Barefoot has two retail stores in Colombo and one store in Galle.
History
In 1964, Barbara Sansoni, a colourist, artist and textile designer, at the suggestion of an Irish nun, Sister Good Counsel of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd, to become involved in a programme established by the convent in Wattala that taught young impoverished Sri Lanka women how to weave.[1] Sansoni with her then husband, Hildon, established and financed four village weaving centres.[2] Sansoni's initial involvement mainly related to the design aesthetics of the material being produced.[3]
Sansoni then began to sell the weaver's products from her home.[1]
Barefoot currently has five weaving centres in Sri Lanka, run by the weavers, using designs by Sansoni and the Barefoot design team.[4]
The company's flagship store, on Galle Road in Colombo, which opened in the early 1970s, is housed in a collection of buildings, centred on an old 1920s town house. The store, which sells Barefoot goods and a wide range of selected local products, also includes a bookshop, a café and an art gallery.[2][5] Barefoot also has a smaller store located in Galle Fort (opened in 2004) and in the Old Colombo Dutch Hospital complex (opened in 2011).
Barefoot products are available from selected retailers in Australia, France, Japan, the Maldives, the Netherlands, Switzerland, the US and the UK. Exports account for approximately 35% of Barefoot’s revenue.[4]
References
- ^ a b Smriti, Daniel (14 July 2014). "The numbers didn't add up but sketches did". Sunday Times. Retrieved 1 July 2015.
- ^ a b "Barefoot celebrates fifty years". The Island. 20 December 2014. Retrieved 1 July 2015.
- ^ Illankoon, Duvindi (23 September 2012). "Cube and colour: Barefoot team's passion on show". Sunday Times. Retrieved 1 July 2015.
- ^ a b "Barefoot". Superbrands. Retrieved 1 July 2015.
- ^ "Barefoot celebrates 50 years". Sunday Times. 21 December 2014. Retrieved 1 July 2015.