New Zealand Merino & John Smedley

My name is Tim and I work for John Smedley. I wore my John Smedley knitwear on my trip to New Zealand, meeting the current wool growers and the New Zealand Merino team, to fully understand and appreciate the work that goes into maintaining the highest quality of raw material supply.

Many wool stations were visited and viewed. Each one individual but all working to the same goal - to produce the best quality fibre, with good yield to the Smedley specification.

Each station showing everything to its full - bursting with pride, enthusiasm and unrivalled professionalism.

Agreements were made on the newly accredited Zque supply, which gave the added assurances of traceability, sustainability, quality, non mulsed merino, fair trade and animal welfare. Having viewed at first hand the stations that supply Smedley - it can be said that the NZ Merino are natural free range merino - I think that this is a better description than “Organic”

Engaged in all areas of the shearing, viewed the shearing operation, watched the wool classers class the clip and even had a go at throwing a fleece straight from shearing for the classers to view. Taught the refinements of the degree of crimp within the fibre and and the all important fibre length and the unbelievable whiteness of fibre that results from the NZ Merino.