Fashion label dreams realised

08-09-2010 | Gerard Hall

Swing tags, graphic design, brochures, marketing plans and a soon to be launched website are among the hot topics around Henry and Gill Dyer's kitchen table.

The South Canterbury farming couple have teamed up with friends and launched JaneHenry Merino, a fashion label using coloured Merino wool grown on Beckford, the Dyers' 519ha farm south of Waimate.

The business idea emerged while Jane and Brett Shand, of Christchurch, were spending a weekend with the Dyers.

The two couples have been friends since being introduced by mutual acquaintances living in Waimate.

While sitting in front of the Dyers' log fire three years ago, the boys with an Emersons Bookbinder in their hands and Jane and Gill a red wine, the fireside conversation turned to the opportunities to manufacture and take through to retail a range of women's and men's fashion wear made from naturally coloured Merino wool.

Their dreams were realised earlier this year with the launch of JaneHenry Merino - garments designed and made exclusively in New Zealand.

The 2010 release includes a range of men's and women's woven scarves, and knitted scarves and shawls for women.

The range has been enthusiastically received and is now stocked by more than 20 selected high-end fashion stores and tourist outlets across the country.

The woven scarves feature traditional squares, stripes and plaids. Jane's original designs offer a contemporary touch while retaining those timeless qualities of warmth and comfort.

Similarly, the lace patterns of the knitted scarves and shawls reflect a modern take on a traditional design element. Each garment is unique because no two batches of the coloured Merino wool are exactly the same shade. "Throughout the world there is a growing demand for natural eco-fashion and JaneHenry's goal of taking their products to that market is close at hand," Jane says.

Raised on a western Southland sheep farm, Jane, a former secondary school English teacher, has been spinning, knitting and designing with wool for more than 30 years.

"I have been interested for some time in developing a fashion range using New Zealand wool and then taking it through to retail.

"Naturally coloured Merino wool garments designed and made wholly in New Zealand, without the addition of chemical dyes and finishing products, are an obvious choice."

Originally, it was decided that Henry and Gill would go out and get some coloured Merino ewes with the required fleece attributes, leaving Jane to the market research and to lead the product development process.

This led to the establishment of business entity JaneHenry Ltd and the launch earlier this year of the first range of JaneHenry Merino.

Knowing there was a small flock of ultra-fine coloured Merino ewes on Dingleburn Station, Henry got on the phone to the station's owners, Guy and Davida Mead.

Within a matter of weeks a deal was struck and the ewes plus a few rams were soon settled in on the Dyers' Waikakihi farm.

In the meantime Jane continued with the product design and development phase.

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