Possum

The Animal

The brushtail possum is an introduced species that was released in NZ in 1837 to establish a fur industry. The NZ possum is only distantly related to the american opossum.

The Fibre

Possum fur is 14% lighter than wool and 7 percent warmer than wool, the fibre thickness is between 14 and 16 micron depending on season. Like Alpacas, the Possum fibre has microscopic airpockets, therefore has a thermal capacity. The blends of Merino Wool, Possum and Silk give the quality that the world has been seeking, the warmth that this unique lightweight hollow fibre produces.

Uses & Benefits

NZ Possum Fur is environmentally friendly, it is a very versatile fur and the skins are a well sized product capable of being shorn, sueded, napped, bleached, dyed or used in its natural colour and hair length. The fur is often blended with merino wool and there are a multitude of uses for environmentally friendly NZ possum products including gifts, souvenirs and all the usual fur products, possum leather and a possum fur/merino wool fibre for textile use. NZ possum fur is luxurious, warm & soft, anti static and a luxury that nearly everyone can afford.

Merino Wool

The Animal

The Merino is an economically influential breed of sheep prized for its wool. Merinos are regarded as having the finest and softest wool of any sheep. The Merino is an excellent forager and very adaptable. It is bred predominantly for its wool, and its carcase size is generally smaller than that of sheep bred for meat.

The Fibre

The world's premier textile fibre. Merino wool is finely crimped and soft. Staples are commonly 65 mm (2.5 inches) to 100 mm (4 inches) long. A Saxon Merino produces 3 kg (6.6 lbs) to 6 kg (13.2 lbs) of greasy wool a year while a good quality Peppin Merino ram produces up to 18 kg (39.6 lbs). Merino wool is generally less than 24 micron (µm) in diameter. Merino wool has natural crimpiness and scale patterns that make it easy to spin. Fabrics made from wool have greater bulk than other textiles, provide better insulation and are resilient, elastic and durable. Fibre diameter is around 16 microns in superfine merino wool and it is similar to cashmere.

Uses & Benefits

Pure, natural wool has been used by humans for centuries for warmth and comfort in both hot and cold climates. Wool is a remarkably versatile fibre. It has comfort, style, texture, coolness, resilience, wrinkle recovery, drape, elasticity, absorption, tenacity and warmth. Its ability to absorb and release moisture makes woolen garments comfortable as well as warm. Wool regulates body temperature, in the micro climate of the bed no matter what the season. It produces warmth in winter without overheating and it keeps you cooler on summer nights because of its natural moisture-wicking properties. Wool is hypoallergenic, it is resistant to bacteria, mould and mildew. Wool is also flame-resistant, wool blankets are the safest choice in the home, hospitals, hotels, and anywhere where bedding is used.

Alpaca

The Animal

A domesticated member of the South American camelid family, the alpaca (Lama pacos) numbers 3 million head worldwide. Around 80% are found in the Andes, but sizeable herds (totalling around 200 000 animals) have been established in North America, Australia and New Zealand. Shorn annually, an alpaca produces about 3 kg of fibre.

The Fibre

Regarded as the "soft gold" and the "fibre of the Gods", alpaca is used to make high-end luxury fabrics. Alpaca fibre is partly hollow, from 20 to 70 microns in diameter and comes in 22 natural colours. It is light, stronger than sheep's wool, and provides excellent insulation. Huacayo alpacas produce soft, dense, short fibres, while the fleece of the rarer suri is lustrous, silky and straight. Alpaca blends well with wool, mohair and silk. Alpaca product combines softness with strength and feels great next to the skin. Alpaca fibre comes in a beautiful range of 22 natural colours.

Uses & Benefits

The primary end use is knitwear, but it is also woven into cloth for clothing, accessories - such as shawls and stoles - and rugs. The premium alpaca fibre is considered lighter, warmer and softer than cashmere. To widen use of alpaca fibre, manufacturers blend it with wool, cotton and silk for both knitwear and woven cloth. There is also a growing market for outdoor sports clothing made from alpaca thanks to its lighter weight and better insulation during cold weather.

Cashmere

The Animal

The only source of true cashmere is the kashmir goat (Capra hircus laniger), native to the Himalayas. Its fine undercoat hair is collected by either combing or shearing during the spring moulting season. After sorting and scouring, the fibres are cleaned of coarse outer hairs. Annual yield of underdown averages around 150 g per animal.

The Fibre

Cashmere is exceptionally soft to the touch owing to the structure of its fibres and has great insulation properties without being bulky. Cashmere has natural crimp, allowing it to be spun into fine, lightweight fabrics. Cashmere has small air spaces between the fibres, which makes it warm without weight, while thin cuticle cells on the fibre surface make it smooth and lustrous.

Uses & Benefits

Cashmere is luxurious, rare and expensive: spun and woven, the annual fibre production of six kashmir goats is enough to make just one cashmere sports jacket. The fabric is widely used as cashmere sweaters because of its warmth and in babywear because of its softness. It is also used as blazers, coats, jackets and underwear. Pashmina is a type of cashmere, used mainly in scarves and shawls, produced in the valley of Kashmir. Coarser cashmere is used for rugs and carpets.

Mohair

The Animal

"Mohair" is derived from Arabic (mukhayyar, a goat's hair cloth). The goat in question, the Angora (Capra hircus) is thought to have originated in Tibet. Turkey was the centre of mohair textile production before the goat was introduced, during the 19th century, to southern Africa and the USA. Angora goats are shorn twice a year and yield from 3 to 5 kg of mohair.

The Fibre

White, very fine and silky, mohair is noted for its softness, brightness and receptiveness to rich dyes. Mohair's diameter ranges from 23 microns at first shearing to 38 microns in older animals. Light and insulating, its tensile strength is significantly higher than that of merino wool. Like wool, mohair has surface scales, but they are thinner, making it smooth to the touch. Light reflected from the surface gives mohair a characteristic lustre.

Uses & Benefits

Mohair dyes exceptionally well and is moisture-absorbing, resilient, and flame and crease resistant. It is used mainly in yarn for knitting and crocheting, and in fabric for stoles, scarves and durable upholstery. Fine hair from younger animals is used in clothing, while thicker hair from older animals goes into rugs and carpets and heavy fabrics for jackets and coats. Mohair is often blended with wool to make top quality blankets. Weavers in Italy and Japan use mohair in blends as low as 20% to add crease resistance and lustre to luxury garments.

Silk

The Animal

Silk is produced by the silkworm, Bombyx mori. Fed on mulberry leaves, it produces liquid silk that hardens into filaments to form its cocoon. The larva is then killed, and heat is used to soften the hardened filaments so they can be unwound. Single filaments are combined with a slight twist into one strand, a process known as filature or "silk reeling".

The Fibre

Developed in ancient China, where its use was reserved for royalty, silk remains the "queen of fabrics". A silk filament is a continuous thread of great tensile strength measuring from 500 to 1 500 metres in length, with a diameter of 10-13 microns. In woven silk, the fibre's triangular structure acts as a prism that refracts light, giving silk cloth its highly prized "natural shimmer". It has good absorbency, low conductivity and dyes easily.

Uses & Benefits