An Irishman, an Englishman and a Kiwi walk into a bar… or in this instance walk into Design Spun, one of New Zealand’s two remaining spinning mills, in Onekawa, Napier.

Peter Chatterton, the self-described ‘Skinny Pom’ of the three, takes up the story.

“A group of Perendale sheep farmers started Design Spun in the late 1960s to add value to their wool clip. In the early 1980s they grew to a level to enable building their own mill. Unfortunately, that was when Chinese manufacturers started to export, ushering in the era of free markets and globalisation, effectively swamping smaller producers in other countries. At that stage New Zealand had around ten mills. Now there are only two of us,” he says.

After an ownership change in 1996 Irishman Ian Kelly, Kiwi Brendan Jackson and Peter undertook a management buyout of Design Spun. They still run the company, and as Peter says are still operating, assisting growers to realise added value and profit from their clip.

“Design Spun is a speciality yarn spinner, producing worsted, modified worsted and fancy yarns. At the fine end we process 15.8 micron merino, going right up to 36 micron crossbred wool, including all points between. We also spin blends with mohair, alpaca, silk, possum fur, and occasionally cashmere, each generally blended with wool to achieve a particular quality for our clients.

“Sixty per cent of our business is in the hand knitting sector with the balance going into weaving, hosiery and commission contracts.

Design Spun’s contracting business has increased over the last ten years, taking fibre from growers on both sides of the Tasman and turning it into yarn or finished products, including socks, garments and blankets.

“We develop close relationships with all sorts, with merino and crossbred growers; alpaca and mohair farmers,” explains Peter.

PGG Wrightson has been integral to Design Spun for more than 40 years, with North Island Wool Manager Allan Jones playing a key role throughout, and Palle Petersen of the company’s export arm Bloch & Behrens also featuring strongly.

“Palle has been extremely good to deal with. We work alongside him to help our mutual grower clients. It is a relationship that benefits all parties,” says Peter.

Set up in 2011, retail shop and online store Skeinz is a growing addition for Design Spun. This year, alongside the whole trade in Australasia, Skeinz has experienced the highest demand for over 30 years as the lockdown encouraged many people to return to crafting.

Design Spun is a PGG Wrightson Wool Integrity™ brand partner, allowing them the use of the Wool Integrity brand on selected yarns.