Soft sell

New Zealand deer down is being turned into luxury apparel, and its developers say there’s a fine future ahead for this rare, costly fibre.

FAR FROM THE glamorous fashion houses of Europe, a windowless Tauranga room holds the secret to what may be the world’s most exclusive fabric. The humidity-controlled room contains a unique machine that extracts a light, strong, down-like fibre naturally shed by deer. Trademarked Cervelt, the fabric is both soft and durable. "Cervelt is by far the scarcest luxury fibre in the world,” it says on the website of French sock speciality company William Abraham. “It is finer than either cashmere or vicuna and… exponentially more durable.” The fabric has also been used in bespoke suits made on England’s Savile Row and utilised by Italian and French luxury design brands such as Armani, Louis Vuitton and Hermès. William Abraham is selling limited-edition Cervelt socks for around $2000 a pair, while a reinvigorated New Zealand tourist market is seeing well-heeled travellers take deer knitwear – scarves, wraps, jerseys – home in their suitcases.

It’s a really intriguing market, a fascinating world to move in and out of.

Local sales growth was an unexpected bonus for Tauranga orthopaedic surgeon and farmer Richard Keddell, who first envisaged exporting deer fibre more than two decades ago. While there have been triumphs since, this is no overnight success story. The co-founder and director of Cashmere Processes Ltd, which processes Cervelt, says it took years to perfect manufacturing, and many more for buyers in Milan and Paris and London to take his product seriously. “I was very naive,” he says. “No-one else in the world is producing it. At the start, I thought, when I go to these companies they’ll say‘wow, we want that’. It’s unbelievably soft and so warm. But they didn’t know how long it lasts, what it’s going to do, will it be any good. I know how good it is but boy, it’s been hard work to get it recognised. ”Along the way, he has learned plenty about the fickleness of fashion. “Orthopaedic surgeons all dabble,” he says. “For me, to go from the operating room to jump on the tractor has always been a great contrast.” Keddell and his wife Wendy own a property on the rural outskirts of Tauranga where they also operate a horse breeding business, importing show-jumping stallions and mares and undertaking embryo transfers. The deer venture began with another animal. In the 1980s, they bought a herd of goats and entered the then-burgeoning cashmere industry. They wound up exporting goats and embryos, then entered a partnership with marine engineer and textile expert Bert McGhee. The mechanically minded Scotsman developed a new kind of processing machine for the sought-after goat hair and then, when cashmere prices tumbled, began experimenting with by-products from the venison industry. McGhee, who has now retired, developed a three-stage process that scours and separates unwanted fibres from the valuable downy hair that deer grow in winter, then shed in spring. “A cashmere fleece off a cashmere goat is about 30 percent cashmere and the rest is rubbish,” Keddell says. "Deer hair is only four percent. It’s like gold mining.” A large deer will only produce between 20 and 40 grams of the precious fibre. The waste hair is used too. Japanese manufacturers use it to make mats as well as protective garments for martial arts practitioners. Trials are underway to use the leftover hair for insulation. Keddell's company extracts the fiber. It outsources spinning to a business in Lower Hutt and another in Italy, while all Cervelt fabric is manufactured in Italy. Another Tauranga firm makes the knitted garments sold in New Zealand and produces one-off samples and special gifts such as blankets given to participants in the most recent America’s Cup, or scarves given to Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, and to Virgin Group founder Sir Richard Branson during his visit. “We gave Richard Branson a Virgin-red scarf and he liked it so much he wanted another for his wife. She wanted baby blue. And I have an email from Patrick Guerrand-Hermès to say it’s the warmest, lightest sweater he’s ever owned." Keddell gave the Hermès fashion heira Cervelt jersey at a polo match in Auckland.The meeting led to orders for Cervelt fiber—and to the Keddell family hosting the Hermès brothers for Christmas lunch on their farm – but the introduction was not a lasting ticket to commercial success. Nor was an early Bay of Plenty business awards win for innovation. “We’ve had some impressive, small global wins. Then the designers want to move on to the next thing in a season or two." The small volume—production is limited to a tonne of yarn a year, at $1450/kg – has proved both a blessing and a curse. While rarity is valued in the world of the uber-wealthy, some manufacturers prefer to work with higher volumes and larger companies. “We have a guy in San Francisco who sells vicuña boxer shorts for US$10,000 a pair. This year, he’s doing Cervelt. He’s going to make lounging pants. It’s a really intriguing market, a fascinating world to move in and out of." While meetings at European fashion headquarters have their appeal, Keddell is glad to see local tourist sales pick up and has his eye on the future—trials are underway to blend the deer fibre with cashmere. He remains quietly optimistic Cervelt has a fine future. “When you believe in something, when you realise how special something is, your passion keeps you going.” 

Fashion stakes
JULIA FORD (NGĀTI KAHUNGUNU),CO-FOUNDER, SWEEPSTAKE WINNERS

When did you launch your clothing business and why?
At the end of 2018. While my career has been focused mainly on footwear and accessory design, I wanted to do something that expanded my design horizons, being able to work with new silhouettes, fabrics and ideas that felt more suited to a clothing line.

Biggest achievements and challenges?
We’ve had a lot of great moments, but the best has been growing our customer base. We’re at a point where it feels people recognise our products and there’s a cult following building, much thanks to our early believers who have supported the brand since the beginning. During the pandemic we pivoted from using overseas production to focusing on designing unique and luxurious textiles and producing designs in small runs, eventually branching into a made-to-order side of the business. It’s allowed us to connect with some incredible new customers and serve them in a way that’s more personal.

Future plans?
This year, we streamlined our production processes, allowing me more time to focus on the creative side. We also embarked on a brand refinement process. Part of that involves the introduction of jewellery to our product range. I got my start making and selling jewellery, so this feels like an exciting, full circle moment.

How do connections like the Whāriki Māori Business Network help?
The events Whāriki organises to support Māori-owned businesses always serve as a huge inspiration. As someone who is often toiling on my mahi alone, late at night, that whanaungatanga and inspiration is something I’m really grateful for.

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