Case Study: barnaby (Melbourne premium sock brand) achieves B2B retail growth and online expansion with Shopify

barnaby - Customer Case Study

Barnaby is a Melbourne-based men’s apparel brand founded in 2013 that focuses on premium, stylish socks—each pair uniquely finished with a hand‑stitched button on one sock and a matching hole on the other to keep pairs together. Entering a fast‑growing accessories market, the founders faced product‑development and supply challenges (finding a manufacturer who met their quality standards) as well as operational costs and the need to scale sales and marketing beyond early PR and word‑of‑mouth wins.

They solved this by designing in Melbourne and partnering with a Korean manufacturer after extensive testing to produce the distinctive socks, while running operations with simple, transparent tools like Trello and exploring outsourcing in Hong Kong to reduce costs. The product found traction primarily through B2B channels—clients from the Museum of Contemporary Art to The Iconic—supplemented by Google ads and growing Instagram potential; team retreats and a focus on quality and persistence helped solidify brand identity and steady growth.

barnaby