About Us

We make everything here in New Zealand and as manufacturers of our own products, we sell direct to clients from all over the world.

And that is what sets Wear New Zealand apart. We hand craft our items and our designs are original to us and copyrighted.  

It’s a small, niche, New Zealand business, doing specialised things out of New Zealand’s finest natural materials and other specialty leathers plus manufacturing from fabrics sourced from around the world.

Wear New Zealand ( formerly Possum New Zealand)  is now in its 23rd year of operation.

To make an item of beauty and object of desire out of an ecological pest is an amazing exercise. Yes, we call our possum products "eco fur" as we believe that combining environmentalism with commercialism is the most successful way of controlling an imported pest that is damaging our forest and fauna, as well as our native birdlife.

Add to the mix other indigenous New Zealand raw materials such as spotty Friesian cow skin, bobbly babylamb and luxurious sheepskin and you have the Wear New Zealand mix and match combos that are lately infiltrating the product ranges. A recent addition to our range is 100% cotton Kiwiana products.

From fashion to décor, we are proud to bring you integrated ranges of the highest quality products all made in New Zealand, by Wear New Zealand.

 Wear New Zealand’s EXCLUSIVITY OF DESIGN

Wear New Zealand’s designs are original and copyrighted. All production processes are undertaken in New Zealand. Wear New Zealand has an ongoing commitment to product development, and prides itself on its innovative approach. Every style is painstakingly formulated to ensure the highest standards of quality and fit. This has resulted in large expenditure of time and resources.

For this reason, Wear New Zealand has and will continue to pursue legal recourse on any individual/organisation deliberately plagiarising its designs or concepts.

In The News

 

  • The Wall Street Journal Online

    The problem with eco-fur? It's still fur
    Report by Christina Binkley

    The fur comes from the brushtail possum, a marsupial native to Australia that has become a forest-destroying invasive species in New Zealand. Fur marketers argue that buying furs made from the possums they kill actually benefits the environment.

    Click here to read the full article

  • The Independent Newspaper

    Alien Invasion: How the Possum became public enemy no 1
    Report by Kathy Marks

    They are protected in their native Australia. But despite their cute looks, these marsupial invaders have become such a menace to the environment in New Zealand that designers who use their fur are seen as national heroes, even by conservationists.

    Click here to read the full article

  • The Times Online

    Is it acceptable to buy Possum fur?
    By Anna Shepherd

    Considered a pest, there are 18 times as many possums as people in New Zealand. They threaten its native trees and wildlife by munching through vegetation. So much so that anything made from possum is dubbed eco-fur. “Buy a possum and save a forest” is the slogan of one [brand], Possum New Zealand.

    Click here to read the full article

 

Who Is Ms Possum?

Ms Possum - Designer/Director of Wear New Zealand - is a complex character. In fact, she wasn’t always known by this pseudonym. So, how did it come about? Many years ago, in suburban Auckland, Ms Possum’s beauty sleep was interrupted, by one of our furry friends, launching itself through an open window. The subsequent hissing and thrashing was matched only by Ms Possum’s hysteria – but it was during this pandemonium that an idea was born… In the ensuing years, Ms Possum happily moved on to other areas of the fashion industry (haute couture, bridal and leatherwear) without giving much thought to the little marsupials. However, that was all about to change. A series of unfortunate roadside incidents led Ms Possum to believe that she was being persecuted, and that she would need a more proactive approach to handling the 70 million or so Possums in New Zealand. Thus the metamorphosis to Ms Possum began. Over time it became obvious that the satisfaction derived from stretching and preparing the hides, was incredibly therapeutic. Her ‘Possum revenge syndrome’ has begun to abate – although sadly there is no known cure for this psychological condition. We’d love to hear your Possum stories. If you write to Ms Possum, she’ll publish them online, and send you a possy pressie!

VIVA MAGAZINE

Anmari Botha

Anmari Botha looking gorgeous in Viva magazine wearing Mongolian Lambskin supplied by Wear New Zealand! This is a new material we're playing with, so keep an eye out for more. Or even better,contact us if you can't wait.