BARTS STORY

From beach shorts to a successful winter accessories brand 

 

A creative brand from the Netherlands which surprises every year with a unique collection winter accessories. Authentic, no-nonsense and having fun, Barts wants to be big by staying small, and rather be the best than be the biggest.

 

In the summer of 1986, Bart Koene, born and raised in Uden in the Netherlands, studied at HTS clothing. During a work placement in France he became bored. To enhance his working experience, Bart took the sewing machine and started to make his own beach shorts. Going back to the Netherlands without having learned anything would not be like him. He decided to go ‘en route’ along the French coast. He headed to Saint-Tropez and began selling his homemade beach shorts, displayed on a basic bamboo pole on the beach. Within six weeks he sold his entire stock! These basic beginnings set the foundation stones for what is now an internationally established winter accessories brand.

 

With his hard-earned cash Bart embarked on a world trip. Arriving in Bali he bought beautiful, colorful fabrics to make more beach shorts. Packed with hundreds of shorts, he returned to Saint-Tropez. Life was relaxed, laid-back and full of simple pleasures, living in a caravan by the beach and driving around in an old ‘Deux Chevaux’ car. Bart’s work did not go unnoticed by the rich and famous including Elton John buying one of his shorts.

 

Six years on, Bart was so successful with his range of shorts that he expanded with bandanas. He also ventured into selling accessories, which gave the brand more high quality products and became more commercially viable. In 1992 Bart launched the brand Barts in the Netherlands, starting with a summer collection of colored bandanas. He also found a way to present his collection, the famous clay Barts heads, handmade by his wife Kelly. The first collection proved a success, which lead to a winter collection with ‘hip-hop’ sleep hats.

 

From his home in the heart of Amsterdam, Bart focused his attention on hand-made winter accessories. From then on, the collections offered beautifully designed, high quality products with value for money. Each Barts item would be designed in Amsterdam with passion and care, using the highest quality materials. Every year, the collection would grow to be bigger, better and more beautiful. During these times scarfs, a children’s collection, technical gloves, thermal underwear and socks were added to the collection’s range.

 

The enthusiasm and drive from the people who work at Barts had been key to the company’s success ensuring its continued growth. Not only retailers in the Netherlands had been passionate about Barts, there was now a huge and ever growing fan-base in Europe. The home office was swapped for a real office in the north of Amsterdam. This office also became too small in no time and Barts decided to take the distribution into its own hands. All of this took place from a brand new head office, the ‘Barts home’, at the IJ in Amsterdam. Barts had now become the most successful winter accessory brand across Europe and in Canada. Barts’ products could be found in sports, kids and fashion stores. Because of the year in year out focus on high quality Barts had conquered a place in the better fashion stores throughout Europe, like Harrods, Galeries Lafayette and De Bijenkorf. Now, 15 years after the first sold beach short, the foundation for a new office is made. In 2012 Barts hopes to move to the Barts Home II. 

 

Barts’ success lies in the entrepreneurial spirit of Bart. Do things right, or don’t do them at all - that is his philosophy of life. Sticking to what you believe, even when it’s not always easy. The road to success should be just as much fun as the goal achieved. Besides hard work, fun and freedom are just as important.  

 

Barts is still growing, but will not surpass the founder’s initial dream of having a focused and successful business. Customers remain loyal because Barts has remained authentic and stays true to its promise: offering the best collection, punctual delivery and great price-quality ratio. If Barts maintains its current success, others may be inspired by this story - making Bart Koene a very happy man!