A playful jab on social media has led to talks of collaboration between New Zealand Rugby and Norsewear. Photo: Supplied / Norsewear
A playful jab on social media has led to a serious yarn between New Zealand Rugby and Norsewear, after the wool clothing company called out the use of offshore-made synthetic beanies in official All Blacks merchandise.
Now, the Hawke's Bay-based manufacturer is in discussions with the sporting body on a potential collaboration that could see Kiwi wool proudly adorning Kiwi rugby fans.
Owner Tim Deane RNZ's told Checkpoint the open letter posted to Facebook on Thursday was prompted after feedback from rugby fans, annoyed to discover their official headwear was acrylic.
"Earlier this week, we were contacted by some die-hard All Blacks fans upset that their All Blacks beanies are synthetic, offshore imports," the post read.
"They told us some synthetic beanies are being used as fire starters instead of head warmers.
"Doesn't it follow that our sporting legends might wear the very fabric our Kiwi identity is wrapped up in?
"Wool and rugby? It's a combo that makes a whole lot of sense.
"We want those cauliflower ears protected from the cold."
A day later, Deane said he received a call from NZ Rugby.
"They were very good-natured about it… and said the post had a number of them smiling in the New Zealand Rugby offices."
"They said, look, we'd love to chat in the next couple of weeks just to see if there's anything we could work together on."
Deane said the post was meant to highlight a broader issue: New Zealanders talk about supporting local wool but often buy synthetic imports.
"In the case of our company, our core business is socks. Eighty percent of the socks in this country are imported, and most of them are not made of wool," he said.
Deane argues that New Zealand wool products can be competitively priced.
"You can buy a Norsewear Hudson beanie for $29.95," he said, noting it's cheaper than some of the official synthetic alternatives. At the time of the interview, the official All Blacks acrylic beanie retailed at $45.
Beyond beanies, Norsewear has already scored a major supply contract with the New Zealand Defence Force.
"All of the soldiers, sailors, and aviators will be wearing our socks," Deane said.
"We supply a number of other big organisations as well."
That's because, said Deane, wool's benefits go beyond national pride.
"It's antimicrobial, thermoregulating, durable, and biodegradable. And it doesn't need to be more expensive than synthetics."
With talks now on the table, Deane said he's optimistic.
"We'll be sitting down with [New Zealand Rugby] in the next couple of weeks to see if we can cook something up."
In a written statement, NZ Rugby acknowledged Norsewear's outreach:
"We work with a range of amazing Kiwi-based and global businesses… but we're always up for a conversation.
In keeping with the theme, NZ Rugby commercial manager Yanie Guthrie tied off the correspondence with a playful pun:
"So thank ewe to Norsewear for reaching out."
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