P O S S U M D O W N
the first of its kind in the world
The Founding of a New Industry
In 1991, Bob and Helen Powell, the original owners of Possumdown Knitwear Ltd were living near the rural town of Taumarunui in the North Island Central Plateau. Bob was a third generation farmer and was carrying on the tradition of hill country sheep farming on the family acreage. In the Taumarunui area, as all over New Zealand, the effects of the burgeoning possum population were everywhere. The landscape was, quite literally, being eaten before their eyes.
The Australian brushtail possum was originally introduced to New Zealand in 1837. Several more releases followed from 1840 – 1875 with the idea of establishing a fur trade. With no natural predators the possum settled into the New Zealand bush with enthusiasm, enjoying such a phenomenal population explosion that, 150 years on, the New Zealand Government now spends approximately 100 million dollars each year on the control of the 90 million possums who consume our forests at a rate of 22,000 tonnes every night.
A remark made by one of Bob & Helen’s friends about putting the possums to good use graduated to the idea of spinning the luxurious fur into some kind of yarn. Once suggested, the concept would not go away and with help from the New Zealand Wool Board, ultimately led to the development of Possumdown yarn.
The early years were ones of experimentation. What ratio of possum fibre to use? What other fibres to mix it with? Would it shrink? Would it shed? Would it be longwearing? Gradually a yarn began to emerge and with trial and error, each problem was addressed and solved. By 1994, Possumdown Knitwear was confident that they had a winning yarn formula of
40% Possum fibre, 50% Merino wool and 10% nylon.
Garments were knitted and went on sale in tourist shops across the country and the public agreed that here was something special. The possum yarn industry was born.
The company is now based in Auckland and successfully markets its unique Possumdown knitwear to the world.
So, how do you make possum yarn?
Possumdown blends possum fibre with fine New Zealand merino wool to create Possumdown yarn. Very high quality, hand harvested fibre is collected and hand-sorted so we can be sure that only the finest and longest fibre goes into our yarn. While the possum is still warm the fibre can be brushed off by hand. This is a natural defence mechanism of the possum whereby if a predator seizes them the fibre releases from the skin and the predator is left with a mouthful of fibre instead of a mouthful of possum. Hand harvesting is the gentlest way of retrieving the fibre, ensuring that no damage is done to its structure.
Machine Plucked Possum Fibre:
"Machine plucking" is not an option for us. It is very hard to identify the quality and length of machine plucked fibre which has the appearance of matted candyfloss. This matting can affect the quality and softness of the fibre, which also can be compromised by the rubber fingers breaking fibres during the plucking process.
Production Chain of Events:
• The hand harvested possum fibre is collected at our fur processing plant in Tauranga.
• It is hand sorted for quality and scoured ready for spinning.
• The fibre is blended with fine merino wool and spun into yarn at Quality Yarns Ltd, one of the largest woollen spun mills in New Zealand.
• The yarn is sent to Tapestry Knitwear in Auckland to be knitted into garments and accessories all ready for the marketplace.
Production quality is as important to us as yarn quality and we strive to maintain the highest possible standards. Possumdown products are checked at several stages, as they are being manufactured and prior to delivery.
Possumdown Characteristics:
Possumdown is a truly luxurious yarn that manages to combine lavish softness and lightness with the hardwearing and warmth qualities that you would expect of a much thicker and heavier product. What’s more, it keeps looking good year after year due its ability to resist pilling.
• Softness
Possum fur is around 16 -17 micron, which is very fine.
• Warmth
The fibres are hollow and this gives good insulation qualities. Possumdown has been tested and has a higher tog value than cashmere and merino wool. ‘Tog’ is the measure used for warmth.
• Low Pilling
Pilling is when you get small balls of fluff forming on the surface of the garment. Possumdown has better pilling qualities than cashmere and merino wool .
• Hard Wearing
Rubbing tests have shown it to wear better than merino wool and cashmere.
• Weight to Warmth Ratio
The garments are light to wear in spite of their high tog value.
• Unique in the World
The garments are luxurious to wear; soft, warm and exotic.
Service:
Following our quality theme through from start to finish, we provide a stock service for our products.
Our aim is to process and dispatch orders on the day they are received.
We are proud of our reputation for the best deliveries in the industry even though our crystal balls are in constant use as we try to predict what will sell for the upcoming season.
“LOOK AFTER YOUR POSSUMDOWN AND YOUR POSSUMDOWN WILL LOOK AFTER YOU………………FOR YEARS TO COME”