Kiwi label wins Global Excellence Award

Kiwi label wins Global Excellence Award

Local fashion brand Untouched World has been named Best Sustainable Fashion Brand by UK Magazine LUX in the 2017 Global Excellence Awards.

CEO Peri Drysdale is delighted to receive the accolade saying “It’s always nice to be reminded that what we are doing is being noticed up in the Northern Hemisphere.”

Untouched World is well known for using high quality natural yarns and fabrics, with their garments being worn by the likes of Prince Harry, former US President Barack Obama and Joanna Lumley. Favourite signature Untouched World fabrics include Mountainsilk™ fine machine washable Merino and Ecopossum™, a blend of fine Merino, brushtail possum and silk, along with other sustainable fibres like soybean, organic cotton and a recently introduced luxurious new yarn called Kapua™, combining Cashmere with premium possum fibre and silk.

Alongside the firm’s work in fashion, the company also operates a Charitable Trust which runs Leadership for a Sustainable Future programmes for young adults. The programmes see 16 – 18 year old students take part in week long experiences that draw together leadership education, conservation education and sustainable and cultural practices. This is just another way Untouched World is inspiring positive change and paying more than just lip-service to the idea of sustainability.

It is their work is this area that has seen Untouched World become the first fashion company in the world to be recognised by the United Nations for sustainability. “We have had enjoyed continued collaborations with the UN over the years, with the common goal of working together towards a more sustainable future”, Peri explains. “This has involved leading forums on sustainable business development and taking some of the work we’re doing in New Zealand more global. Through our Charitable Trust, we are currently working with the Mahatma Ghandi Institute, and just last month we had a group of Indian students come to New Zealand to take part in our Leadership for a Sustainable Future programmes. It’s really satisfying to see the students come through the programmes with their eyes opened to the wider issues surrounding sustainability and a passion to go out and make a positive difference in the world.”

Sustainability lies at the heart of everything Untouched World does, from their timeless multi-tasking designs, fabric and fibre sourcing, energy consumption and waste reduction to the far-reaching effects of their Charitable Trust efforts. “Sustainability is a mentality, a lifestyle, a consciousness that we take seriously”, Peri says.

Looking to the future, Peri is keen for the brand to continue growing and building upon its current achievements. She is currently working on increasing the brand’s footprint with more stores in the pipeline. “We believe our success comes from the combination of our amazing fabrics and materials, our exceptional quality, innovation and design, coupled with our strong sustainability ethos and the difference we make beyond the realms of our business activity.”

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