Woolen clothing brand Devold is leading the charge with conscious consumption, and encouraging local businesses to get on board.
For over 150 years, Devold has built a brand with a deep sense of quality - culminating in beautiful, practical and sustainable woolen garments. Now the opening of a New Zealand flagship store marks a new season for the company - and with it - comes a sharper focus on sustainability.
Sarah Perriam, Owner of the Wanaka store is passionate about the environment and giving back. “I believe that a clothing brand should take ownership of how they produce their clothes. They should not only invest in the growers that produce the fibres, but the animals and the land as well. And Devold does that and so much more,” Perriam said.
Devold operates a sheep-to-shop mentality, whereby the wool only changes hands three times - from the farmer to the broker to the house-owned factory. There is a real element of traceability, and consumers can see exactly where their clothes came from, literally.
“Clothing is made with wool produced throughout South America and Australaisa and every garment comes bearing a swing tag with the name of the farm from which it was grown,” Perriam said.
“It is so important to create this kind of connection to the clothes, to encourage consumers to really think about their choices. By being able to trace each item back to where it came from, we are starting a mindset shift towards conscious consumption, and shopping for longevity as well as quality over quantity,” Perriam continued.
And the company is focused on continuing to improve. Perriam is taking her Wanaka store through a short workshop where businesses calculate and reduce their greenhouse gases.
“In my mind this was the logical next step. Our community, our followers and our planet demands this of us. And I think every business should get involved, there has never been a better time to face up to the impact we are having on the world,” she finished.
Visit Devold Wanaka at 139 Ardmore Street
