Snowy Peak Ltd
Merinomink™
Fine Merino and Luxurious Possum Fur
Established in 1996, Merinomink™ remains the global benchmark for designer Merino and Possum knitwear. Made from an exclusive blend of fine Merino wool, luxurious Brushtail Possum fibre, silk for strength and with angora added to naturally achieve lighter colours, Merinomink™ is a refined combination of supreme comfort and beautiful design with excellent long wearing properties. We work with the finest materials and finish every garment by hand to exacting quality standards.
SUSTAINABILITY
Snowy Peak Ltd is deeply engaged with ecological, social and ethical sustainability issues. We research and consider the overall influence of all our activities on the planet's flora, fauna and also its people.
Our passion for sustainable design flows through every element of our brands, from our buttons (recycled cotton through to sustainably harvested tagua nut), our textiles – we have an extensive organic cotton and organic and sustainable Merino sourcing programme – to where and how we produce each and every garment.
All of the Merinomink™ and Snowi™ collections are produced in our specialist manufacturing facility at our head office in Christchurch, New Zealand where the staff are like family. Many of them have celebrated their 20 year anniversary working for the company. It's our passion to make a positive difference in the world. Ethical, fair trade that's ecologically sound is non-negotiable.
Our sustainable design philosophy drives innovation in design. We are committed to continually improve the ecological and social footprint of our collections. This effort, coupled with our development of and commitment to the Untouched World™ Charitable Trust, has been internationally recognised by the United Nations. We are the first clothing company in the world to be accredited to use the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainability emblem on our products. Our CEO Peri Drysdale has been invited to consult with the United Nations, and former US President Bill Clinton has sought Peri's contribution on how to improve the world's environment at the Clinton Global Initiative conferences. In 2010, Untouched World™ won international acclaim for its sustainable performance Merino cycling collection at the prestigious EuroBike design awards.
SPECIAL NATURAL FIBRES
POSSUM FIBRE
Snowy Peak Ltd has a long history of innovation in textile fibres and fabrics. History was made when Snowy Peak Ltd knitted the first ever garment using a blend of New Zealand Possum fibre and wool.
Introduced to New Zealand in 1837 from Australia and with no natural predators, the Possum is New Zealand's biggest ecological threat. Possums occupy 95% of New Zealand, with an estimated population of 60 million. They are legally classified as pests. Snowy Peak Ltd's use of Brushtail Possum fibre is endorsed by DOC (Department of Conservation) and WWF (World Wildlife Fund). The use of Brushtail Possum fibre in New Zealand benefits our environment by contributing to a reduction in the use of broadcast poisons and to the effort to protect our native forest and birds.
The Brushtail Possum fibre has a hollow structure, this means the fibre has extremely high warmth to weight ratio. Air is trapped both within the fibre and in the fabric. When blended with high crimp, fine Merino, it creates a luxuriously soft, lightweight and very warm garment. The fibre has no scales so resists pilling and has outstanding durability and excellent performance characteristics.
All Snowy Peak Ltd garments made from Possum carry an assurance of quality from forest to finished garment, and a guarantee of essential fibre selection and processing controls.