Possum-fur yarn makes double debut at NZ Fashion Week

Possum-fur yarn makes double debut at NZ Fashion Week

Wellington yarn maker, Woolyarns New Zealand were rapt to find out this week two designers, Zambesi and Maree MacLean, are featuring their luxury possum fur product, Perino in collections for New Zealand Fashion Week 2014.

Up until now the luxury yarn has been used exclusively in the tourist market. Woolyarns NZ Marketing manager Jimad Khan says the move into high fashion is an exciting development for the company.

Both Zambesi and Maree MacLean are using the top-end yarn as features in their New Zealand Fashion Week collections.

“Zambesi is very keen to source local, sustainable product and on being approached by Woolyarns New Zealand got excited by the idea of possum yarn," says Zambesi designer Dayne Johnston.

"Initial trials came when Elisabeth Findlay (Zambesi designer) was travelling overseas and wanted to take something quintessentially New Zealand. She used knitted Perino for arm warmers and beanies and from these was inspired to go forward taking the product from tourist commodity into high fashion," says Dayne.

"This year’s collection features Perino in everything from classic jumpers, arm warmers and cardigans, to socks for men and women as well as home-ware."

The Maree MacLean connection happened when the Copenhagen based shoe designer teamed up with Parisian fashion designer, Angela Gallard to create made-to-order clothing brand, The Noble Savage.

Their collaborative collection in the Miromoda show at this year’s New Zealand Fashion Week (Friday August 29) combines Maori tradition with French chic. The 15 piece capsule collection features a special range of super warm, super light knitwear made from Perino. The super-warm knitwear, featuring strong Maori motifs, is designed to be worn in the chilly northern climates of Europe.

Perino is a unique blend of yarn using sustainably sourced Brushtail possum fur, cashmere or fine merino wool. Perino yarns are lightweight, low-pilling, breathable and anti-odour.

Next year Woolyarns plan to exhibit their Perino yarn collection at Pitti Immagine Filati in Florence, Italy.

Pitti Immagine Filati is the main international event for the knitting yarn industry.

The event attracts the world’s finest knitting manufacturers, fashion designers, and brands as they all look for the latest innovations and trends.

Presenting Perino to the international market is an important next step for Woolyarns as it expands into high fashion.

The benefits for international designers and brands when working with the Perino yarn is that the knitted or woven fabric is 55 percent warmer than merino weight for weight and 35 percent warmer than cashmere weight for weight.

Woolyarns New Zealand is Australasia’s leading yarn engineer and spinner of high quality yarn.

ENDS

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