The NZNC Palliser Range

This is the most exciting product launch in the history of New Zealand Natural Clothing.

We are delighted to present the New Zealand Natural Clothing Palliser Romney wool range.

We are excited because the clothes are great, and come with a real story. It is about bringing our customers wool clothing where we can tell you the story of the wool from the sheep’s back to your back. More than that, it is about the special people involved. We want to humanise the supply chain by telling the stories of the New Zealand farmer. Most importantly, it is about having a genuine connection to the land and romney sheep from where the wool is sourced.

If you haven’t already read our introduction to Palliser Ridge and how they raise their Romneys, check out the story of this magical wool and the people who farm it here.

The wool’s journey

The New Zealand Natural Clothing Palliser range is all made from the 27 micron Romney Lambswool we source from Palliser Ridge. We love it because of the care and science that goes into their farming practices. But there is a lot to be done between shearing day and knitting day.

Of course, the journey of the wool begins with the shearing at Palliser Ridge, located at Cape Palliser in the Wairarapa region. From there it is transported north to be scoured at Hawkes Bay Woolscourers, which you guessed it, is in the Hawkes Bay. The final stage of the wool production process is the spinning. From the Hawkes Bay, the Palliser Ridge wool heads south past out NZNC Norsewood shop as it heads for a city excursion to be spun in Wellington. Each step of the process is taken by people that take care in what they do, and we care about that.

The Palliser Guernsey

The centerpiece of this exciting range is the NZNC Palliser Guernsey.

With all their years around Olla Rian’s heritage Norsewear jerseys, NZNC’s Phil and Julie were inspired to create a jersey which possessed the same timeless qualities. As well as being a major reseller of Norsewear, we are also working on a museum to display this collection. Now armed with the perfect wool, Phil and Julie set out to follow this inspiration. The wool was sent out to a few NZ knitters with the idea of a Guernsey jersey. The challenge was finding machines that could still do it. Eventually, Auckland was the destination chosen as the spot for knitting.

The first recorded mention of the Guernsey came in 1851 when it was included in the Oxford English Dictionary for the first time. It has been around a lot longer than that. Guernseys, a style of knitted jumper, have been used by seaman as far back as the 15th Century.

What makes the Palliser Guernsey distinct from other jerseys is how the patterned design pays homage to the style of old. The distinctive features of this jersey are the knitted shoulder pattern and the triangle cut on the two sides at the bottom. The timeless design means our guernsey doesn’t look out of place in 21st Century New Zealand.

With no professional model, we had to settle for NZNC’s Kyle. The good thing is that we have the perfect place to shoot with the Wop Wops Wetland Park a part of our Norsewood Heritage site. The dog isn’t a pro recruit, that is Master Carver Jeff Bryan’s dog Storm, who didn’t want to miss out on the fun!

Head-to-Toe Accessories 

Complementing the Guernsey is a NZNC Palliser wool range that includes beanies, socks and fingerless gloves. All the accessories in the Palliser range are made down behind our shop at the old Norsewear factory down behind our shop in Norsewood.

he New Zealand Natural Clothing beanie comes in a number of varieties. Minimalists will love our natural white or natural brown Romney lambswool beanies. The New Zealand flavour really comes out with one of our three choices of leather patches. Finally, there is the pompom edition for those who want that New Zealand made beanie that really stands out in the crowd.

Knitting enthusiast and NZNC director Julie has had made all of the pompoms herself, many in the car rides between our Norsewood and Otaki locations. We also sell the Palliser Ridge wool spun 1kg cones that are ready for those who would like to craft their own creations with this fantastic wool.

Next in the lineup is our fingerless gloves. These gloves are designed to be both warm and practical. This wool is hard-wearing and work ready whether you’re harvesting hops or pumping out an email from the milking shed. Simple and effective, they speak for themselves really.

The romney wool rib leg work sock rounds out our trio of sidekicks by making sure you’re covered head to toe. When you make a sock from 27 micron wool (the kind of thickness that gives that classic wooly look) there is only one type of sock you’re going to go for - big, comfy and warm. In fact, this sock is made on the very 1950s/1960s machines as the world famous Norsewear Farm Fleck. Like the fingerless gloves, these socks are hard wearing and super warm. Being wool, they are also non-absorbent and breath exceptionally well. Simply perfect for work in the wool shed or on the couch snuggled up with a cupper!

See you soon!

We can’t wait to get to Southern Fieldays and tell the story. There is no need for our North Island friends to worry though. We will be at Mystery Creek come June with a story we know our Fieldays regulars are going to love. You don’t have to wait until Fieldays to get your hands on a real piece of New Zealand though. The Palliser wool range is available online, and it’s already sitting on the shelves at our Norsewood and Otaki stores!