Icebreaker: It’s all about doing things…, naturally

Icebreaker: It’s all about doing things…, naturally - 21 Jul 2007

As I was walking around the Trade Show on my way to meetings today, I passed in front of a booth that had an unusually simple statement which caught my eye. It said “Nothing is more natural than wool”. Why hadn’t anyone proposed that solution before? Or should I say, why did we abandon that solution? Everyone my age remembers putting on that long woolen underwear in the winter and wishing you just didn’t have to go outside in the first place…, because the darn things itched so much. And yes, woolen bike jerseys weren’t so fun to have on when you sweated or got caught in the rain. But, times have changed and wool-processing techniques have progressed and today, well, the stuff feels fabulous.

So while I was talking with Hannah Lee (European Marketing Manager) of Icebreaker, a New Zealand based, base wear and outdoor wear manufacturer, it became quickly apparent that there was something else besides Hobbits and Orcs that came from the land that produced us The Lord of the Rings.

She underlined their simple philosophy by saying, “it’s about our relationship to nature, and to each other. And it’s about new ideas and doing things differently; being an authentic natural choice in an age of synthetics, and seeing how far we can develop this simple idea”.

Each year Icebreaker procures the best Merino wool in the world, directly from the best growers in the world, high up in the very pure Southern Alps of New Zealand. From there, the hand-picked pure Merino goes in search of the best technology, ethical manufacturing, and environmentally sound practices before it completes its transformation into a hand-made garment. Sure you’ve heard a lot about what happens during the transformation process and yes there is room for improvement, but wool is sustainable and it makes up 90% of the whole process.

I personally think it’s great that wool is making a “come back”. It makes me happy to know that rural farming communities in New Zealand are once again flourishing and that their skills are once again being recognized worldwide. G’day mate !

Posted by: andrew
Tags: brands, shows