Coast view wows Smartwool
Smartwool leaders were treated to a million-dollar view when they visited Stonyhurst farm at North Canterbury.
A team from the United States merino apparel company met with the Douglas-Clifford family at their 3000 hectare coastal station this week. The family was awarded the Ballance Farm Environment supreme regional award for their sheep, beef and deer operation earlier this year.
Standing at a high point on the station, the visitors had a view of the rolling North Canterbury sheep country, and the dramatic coastline to the south. The Douglas-Cliffords have had a contract supplying wool to Smartwool for close to 15 years. Wool contributes between 30 and 40 per cent of the farm’s sheep income.
Smartwool brand president Travis Campbell said 95 per cent of the company’s wool was sourced from New Zealand. ‘‘The reason we have stayed in New Zealand is that we have always been able to get the quality and the back-story for our products from places like Stonyhurst,’’ he said. ‘‘More and more we are seeing our consumers wanting to understand where their garments come from. They will ask the retailer or ask us directly or through social media, where does the wool come from and is it ethically sourced?’’
Campbell thinks this is a growing worldwide trend, particularly in New Zealand, Europe, Japan and the US. Consumers wanted to understand where their products came from and the story behind the brand, he said. ‘‘We were already operating in this way then this trend began to build. We didn’t have to make up a story or change much about the way we did business to align with our consumer’s interests. It was already in our DNA.’’
‘‘Without a doubt, this trend is only going to become more critical. I think we are only at the front end. It is stronger in the younger demographic. It’s why we partner with those farms we do.’’
Campbell said The New Zealand Merino Company (NZM) had ‘‘done a nice job’’ for Smartwool over the years to build the story and create the mechanisms to bring more farmers in and create volume. The ZQ merino standard, administered by NZM, provided a checklist of standards for farmers, which gave Smartwool assurances about the quality of product, farming and animal welfare practices, he said
‘‘There is an elaborate checklist of standards, all edited. It gives us certainty, takes the responsibility off us. It’s nice to have third-party verification we are doing it right. He said Smartwool was sourcing enough wool during a high demand period.
‘‘At the moment yes. But fine wool is at a historic high, pricewise. We operate over longer-term commitments - that’s one of the ways we have been able to manage fluctuations in wool prices over time.
‘‘But we have to make commitments now at historic high prices. So its less about the scarcity of total supply than it is about the price we have to pay for what we need. It’s a supply and demand thing, and there is more demand for fine wool now. People are recognising the consumer trend for natural fibres.’’
A lack of wool was a concern over the long term, but the company was only just ‘‘scratching the surface’’ of the total volume of fine wool produced in New Zealand. Australia and South Africa also produced fine wool, Campbell said.
Smartwool started manufacturing performance ski socks 25 years ago, then broadened into outdoor socks and base layers. Then it brought in ‘‘lifestyle’’ socks. ‘‘Now we are building our outdoor culture styles for active outdoor consumers who want that function and feel for every day,’’ Campbell said.