Possum Merino is a uniquely New Zealand blend combining the hollow fibre of brushtail possum fur with fine Merino wool and a touch of silk. This blend is incredibly warm, lightweight, and pill-resistant. It's also an eco-friendly choice—brushtail possums are an introduced pest in New Zealand, so using their fibre helps protect native forests.

Our wool is sourced from New Zealand farms committed to ethical animal welfare and sustainable land management. Merino wool is a natural, renewable, and biodegradable fibre. Combined with possum fibre—a byproduct of pest control efforts protecting native ecosystems—our fabrics support both environmental conservation and responsible production.

Our silk comes in two constructions single knit and double knit. While both are lightweight, breathable and temperature regulating, the knit changes how the fabric moves and which garments it's best suited to.

Single knit silk is the lighter of the two. Made with a single set of needles, it's incredibly fine, a little sheer, and fits closely to the body moving with you, almost unnoticed. At 75gsm, it's a natural base layer, sitting easily under clothing.

Double knit, also known as interlock silk, is made with two sets of needles that create two interlocking layers. It's slightly thicker than single knit, won't ladder, and while it has some stretch, the fabric is more structured, so it holds its shape. It comes in two weights: a lighter 95gsm for underwear and sleepwear, and a heavier 170gsm, which is better suited to outerwear.

The Australian brushtail possum (not to be confused with the American opossum) was introduced to New Zealand in 1837. With no natural predators, numbers grew rapidly reaching an estimated 70 million by the 1980s. The impact on New Zealand's native environment has been significant, with possums threatening the survival of native birds, plants and insects.

Trapping and pest control programmes have helped reduce numbers, and the possum fur industry plays an important role in keeping populations in check. The use of possum fur is supported by both the New Zealand Department of Conservation and the World Wildlife Fund. Choosing possum merino is a small but meaningful contribution to that effort.

The softness of merino wool comes down to the fineness of its fibres. That fineness is measured in microns one thousandth of a millimetre. The lower the micron count, the finer and softer the fibre. Standard wool typically measures between 30 and 40 microns. By contrast, merino measures between 15 and 24 microns.

Coarser fibres are rigid enough to prick the skin rather than bend against it, causing an itchy sensation. Finer fibres, like merino, are soft enough to flex on contact, so they sit gently against the skin without irritation.

Within merino, there's even more variation. Our superfine merino sits between 17 and 18.5 microns. It's exceptionally soft and well suited to everyday wear. Our ultrafine merino measures below 17 microns. It's rarer, more expensive and closer in feel to cashmere.

Not ours. The prickle people associate with wool comes from coarse fibres — the thicker the fibre, the more it irritates the skin. Our superfine Merino is 18 microns and our ultrafine is 16.9 microns, both comfortably below the threshold at which most people feel any prickle at all. The result is a fabric that feels soft next to the skin, which is why our Merino base layers suit people with sensitive skin. If wool has bothered you in the past, it was almost certainly a far coarser fibre than this.

Hemp has more texture than cotton when it's new—that's the nature of a strong bast fibre—but it softens with every wash and keeps softening for years. A hemp garment is usually at its best after a handful of washes, and better again after a season of wear. If hemp has felt stiff to you in the past, it was almost certainly new and unwashed.