facebook.com/weebits
Physical Location: Lower Hutt
Operating Since: 2008
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| Debbie Green |
Our clothing is personally knitted in 8 ply merino wool, as well as a small range of 2 and 4 ply vests, socks and beanies. I think of our clothing as simple but stylish. The garments compliment each other to create a gorgeous ensemble for any little person.
What kind of clothes do you make?
We use the best merino sourced from high country farms in the South Island and then entirely processed at a local wool factory, Woolyarns. All weebits garments are dyed using eco-friendly low-impact fibre-reactive dyes. Unlike conventional dyes, these contain no heavy metals or other known toxic substances. Our natural-colour wool is eco-merino which has no scouring or bleaching in the process.
Who makes your clothes?
We have a great team of knitters from the South Island in Geraldine. They have been knitting for us since 2008. Once we expanded into the UK, the Netherlands, South Africa and Australia, I advertised from some local knitters & now have a great team close by as well, which works well for those urgent one-off things that sometimes we need today. Most of my knitters knit every day as there is always a winter somewhere in the world. They really enjoy it and weebits has become a large part of their lives.
Who sells your clothes? Can we buy them online?
weebits is sold online through our website as well as top-end stores around the world. Where we have control, the stores and their locations are carefully selected so that they have some exclusivity in their area.
What price range are your clothes in?
The price of the weebits range is $20 - $150, from our merino knitted socks to knitted basket-weave blanket.
Why do you think NZ clothing labels outsource their manufacturing overseas?
I think manufacturing overseas obviously has a price factor but also has become very easy for a lot of businesses & there are a lot more options than here in New Zealand. It's a big shame but, in the end, I think customers still appreciate a well-made NZ product & we don't intend moving from that.
What would the Government do to help clothing labels keep it in NZ?
It would be great to see the Government help with some funding for new NZ businesses. The "Buy New Zealand Made" campaign has been a good thing & hopefully made people more aware of the benefits to buying NZ-made.
Anything to add?
All in all, I love my job and am kept very busy. I talk about "us" and "our" rather than "me" because I feel my husband has been great influence on my business; pushing me along to succeed & developing a great website, database and finding stores around the world.
I am happy to have so many fabulous knitters in New Zealand kept busy doing something they love. I appreciate and know them all personally & often spend time chatting and having coffee with them, which I think is a very important part of the business.
Happy knitters make great garments!
