The British Tailor Behind Swanndri
Here's a fact that might surprise you: one of New Zealand's most iconic clothing brands was started by an Englishman.
In 1913, a tailor named William Broome, twenty-one years old and newly arrived in New Zealand from the UK, trademarked a woollen bush shirt, treated to be waterproof by the standards of the day, so effective that the shirt is still in production today. He called it Swanndri: designed to help you stay dry as a swan's plumage.
More than a century later, we're bringing Swanndri home to the UK.
Built for weather you'll recognise
Broome left the UK for New Zealand's Taranaki region, swapped one unpredictable climate for another, and got to work solving the same problem British farmers, walkers and anyone waiting at a bus stop still face today: how do you stay warm and dry when the weather has no intention of cooperating?
His answer was a heavyweight wool bush shirt, treated with a waterproofing formula he kept so secret that people still speculate about it now. What we do know is that it relied on chemical treatments typical of the era: effective, but not something we'd use today. The early shirts came in one size, a by-product of an uneven treatment process rather than a design choice. Sizing has improved considerably since, and so has our approach to weatherproofing. Rather than chemical treatments, we now rely on wool's own natural qualities: it's inherently water-resistant, breathable and warm even when damp. Better for the wearer, and considerably better for the planet.
A century of quietly getting on with it
1913: William Broome trademarks the Swanndri bush shirt, two days before Christmas.
1927: Tailor John McKendrick adds a hood, laced front and long sleeves, and introduces the olive green that's still the brand's signature. He later buys the trademark outright.
Today: Same wool. Same stubbornness about doing things properly. A customer base that now spans city streets as much as sheep stations.
Why wool, still
Everyone's rediscovering wool right now: sustainable, durable, naturally water-resistant, and warm even when wet, without a drop of chemical treatment. We'd love to take credit for spotting the trend. In truth, we just never stopped using it. Swanndri has sourced wool from New Zealand farms for over 100 years, because it was the right material in 1913 and nobody's invented anything better since, least of all something kinder to the planet.
From the back of beyond to the streets of home
Swanndri built its name keeping New Zealand's farmers, hunters and hikers protected in conditions most clothing brands would rather not think about. That reputation travelled: the range now sells as comfortably in cities as it does on farms, and the bush shirt that started it all is still one of our best-known pieces.
Now it's crossing back to the country where its founder started out. Same wool. Same shirt, more or less.
