Precious Collaborative

17/07/2026

Organic h**p is arguably the most sustainable fibre to grow. I chose it for that reason, in place of linen which I absolutely love. Linen has a crisp, natural look and feel, and h**p is similar. With the fact that the h**p fibre is incredibly strong, it softens with age, evolving as you wear it.
For the shape of the Shannon shirt, I have again drawn on my Irish heritage. It's a 'serious' shirt with a spiritual feel, referencing a number of different cultures in the choice of collar.
The colour is dark with fine detail in the domed openings. And you've got a bit of flamboyance in the long shirt tail which is designed to be easily altered if it's not quite your style.
It suits both men's and women's bodies and that flexibility has been reflected in the sales.

**p **pshirt **pshirtstyle

11/07/2026

A short, sharp instruction on the circular model of design - and consumption - of our clothing, both recycled and new.

07/07/2026

I'm very grateful to have been invited as a Guest Speaker at WoolOn Creative Fashion Event 2026. Highly flattered and ah!....I have so much to say!! But I promise to keep it short and sharp.

BTW, as of this minute, there are only 11 seats left for Saturday evening...a few more still available at the matinee show.

06/07/2026

Woo hoo! So great to get this advice from the iconic Untouched World brand.
I frequently get asked by Precious Customers about washing their garments. I'm always afraid to - officially - go outside the 'fabric recommendations' of dry cleaning....but I don't like dry cleaning, for many sustainable reasons, along with the fact that, in Wanaka, it's not easy to organise dry cleaning.
So I pop my garments in a 'wool cycle' wash in my wonderful Asko front loading washing machine....and it does a wonderful job! I started doing this about 5 years ago when I began working on the Donegal tweeds, R&D 😜
BTW I would NEVER put them in a top loader, but perhaps that's just because I've never had a top loader...

02/07/2026

Still buzzing after the Summit in Auckland last month, thank you to everyone involved in organising, all the speakers and discussers, and to everyone who attended, especially the young designers and industry members who were particularly evident in the sold out audience...

02/07/2026

A great piece about how we're being convinced to spend 'just a little', how that affects our personal economy and what a little bit of hesitation may achieve for the overall good! I hope I've summarised that well.....it's a great read X

New Zealanders dump approximately 52,000 tonnes of clothing into the landfill every year. Fast fashion is hurting us in more than one way.

01/07/2026

Sami! Thank you for your creative accessorising of your Precious Pinafore. These little clips are a great way to adjust shape of a garment which is designed to be comfortable, versatile and wearable for decades...
Sami can't quite remember where she got this clip but she did find us a link to something similar at:
https://thepintheory.com/products/sword-waist-pin-adjuster-jeans-tightener?variant=56574968168830

30/06/2026

Having come back from Threads of Tomorrow Summit in Auckland, I have been inspired to look at what is possible for the clothing industry here in New Zealand.
A supplier, Avenue Clothing in Auckland, pointed me in the direction of what is being done in Australia and I'm well down the rabbit hole now...
I'm really looking forward to hearing plans from Fashion & Textiles NZ, along with a confirmation from our government that they're onboard fully.

Australia's peak clothing and textile organisation launches a national strategy to revitalise an industry hit by years of turmoil.

24/06/2026

We started using buttons, as opposed to zippers, having been inspired to do so by Kowtow.
Then I went looking for buttons and Found Ocean Shell in Riverton who have supplied us with beautiful buttons, each one an unique piece of mother of pearl.
We love our shell buttons which will return to earth at the end of their useful life, hopefully well down the track.
And Lumea, of which Ocean Shell is a part, is the world’s largest wholesaler of ocean shells from the South Pacific, imagine that, from Riverton....
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/business/600628/money-lying-on-the-ground-could-nz-do-more-with-its-magical-paua-shells

19/06/2026

Precious was delighted to attend the Threads of Tomorrow Summit in Auckland this week.
And very grateful to have Liz Mitchell's Lake Wanaka Trench Coat on display at the 'It's Wool' stand, presented by Wool Impact. Thank you Gretchen and Anna.
My biggest delight of the event? To see perhaps 70% of the attendees are women from the fashion, textiles and wool innovation industries, and mostly young women . Clearly the new, young players in our Textile, Fashion and Design industry are believers in the strength of collaboration. That's clever and forward thinking. Thank you to Fashion & Textiles NZ for putting an event together which has managed to get so many new creatives in the room.