We have some news that we're particularly proud to share: Barkley and Fetch is now an official member of Made in Britain.
For us, this is about much more than adding a new logo to our website. It's independent recognition of something that has been at the heart of Barkley and Fetch since we started in 2016 — we actually make our products here in Britain.
What does Made in Britain mean?
Made in Britain brings together British manufacturers and awards its registered mark to businesses that manufacture their products in the UK.
To become a member, we had to provide information about Barkley and Fetch, the products we manufacture and our manufacturing process. We also had to demonstrate how the raw materials and components we buy are transformed into finished products here in our workshop.
That last part wasn't too difficult for us to show — all we had to do was take a camera upstairs!
From fabric to finished dog collar in Marple
Our workshop is above our shop in Marple, Greater Manchester, and it's where our Barkley and Fetch products are made.
A handmade dog collar, for example, doesn't arrive here ready-made for us to simply attach a Barkley and Fetch label.
We start with the individual materials and components — fabrics, webbing, buckles, adjusters, D-rings and other hardware.
The fabric and webbing are measured and cut to our own specifications before being brought together and sewn. Hardware is incorporated during construction, areas are reinforced where required, labels are added and the finished collar is checked before it's ready to leave the workshop.
The same principle applies across the products we manufacture, from dog leads and harnesses to coats and walking accessories.
Designed here. Cut here. Sewn here. Made in Britain.
Why have we kept manufacturing in Britain?
When Barkley and Fetch began in 2016, I already had more than 20 years of experience working in fashion and technical garment design.
Knowing how products are constructed has always influenced the way we work. I wanted to be able to develop patterns, choose materials, make changes and solve fitting problems ourselves rather than hand production over to somebody else.
As Barkley and Fetch grew, outsourcing production overseas might have been one route to producing larger quantities. Instead, we've chosen to keep making our products ourselves.
That means we can manufacture in small batches, introduce new fabrics and designs without committing to enormous production runs and make many products to order.
It also allows us to offer something that's particularly important to us: flexibility.
Dogs don't conveniently come in standard sizes. Because we're the people actually making the products, we can often alter a pattern or make a custom size for a dog that doesn't fit comfortably into standard sizing.
Who makes Barkley and Fetch products?
We do.
It sounds like a very simple answer, but in a world where phrases such as British brand, designed in Britain and UK company don't necessarily mean that a product was manufactured here, we think it's an important distinction.
Barkley and Fetch products are manufactured by our own team in our Marple workshop.
We're not sending designs elsewhere to be produced and then importing the finished products. Cutting, sewing, construction and finishing happen here.
And because our workshop and shop are in the same building, some of the products you see downstairs have travelled remarkably few metres from sewing machine to shop display!
Ten years of making in Marple
Becoming a Made in Britain member feels particularly appropriate in 2026, our tenth year of Barkley and Fetch.
What began in 2016 as a small idea has grown into a British dog accessories brand supplying customers and independent retailers while continuing to manufacture from our own workshop in Greater Manchester.
The equipment, product range and team may have changed over those ten years, but one thing hasn't:
we still make things.
In an age of mass production, we're rather proud of that.
Officially Made in Britain
You'll now start to see the Made in Britain mark on our website alongside our handmade dog accessories.
You can also visit our official Made in Britain member profile to find Barkley and Fetch listed amongst British manufacturers.
Thank you to everyone who has bought something we've made over the past ten years. Every collar, lead, harness, coat and accessory that leaves our workshop helps us continue doing something we genuinely value — manufacturing in Britain.