Our Materials
Papanui Estate has been in our family for three generations. And because of that, we’ve both spent countless summers growing up around woolsheds, surrounded by the durable white fibres. Which unsurprisingly, is where our passion for it began.
Since we began helping to care for Papanui Estate and its residents, we’ve been dead set on making our wool work even harder, without making the animals break a sweat. To us, durability and sustainability are just as important as how they look.
Which is why we’re quietly stoked to be certified under NZFAP Plus. One of NZ’s highest sustainability standards for sheep, beef and deer farms. It recognises the extra work farmers do to care for land, animals and community, and it’s a recognition usually reserved for the meat industry.
Papanui Estate Wool
Papanui Estate Wool is the fibre that has laid the foundation for over 80 years of Kiwi farming. To keep them happy, our ewes – a Romney x Kelso crossbreed who produce high quality 35 micron wool – are shorn twice a year.
While this allows us to craft a range of Honest Wolves that are biodegradable, durable, and most importantly, sustainable, it’s also a necessary process that ensures their coats stays clean and healthy, keeps things like parasites away, and helps with thermoregulation all year around.
Once shorn, the wool is meticulously washed and dyed before being crafted into the felt that makes the lion's share of our bags and accessories. By being so hands-on across the process, we’re able to make sure the land and animals are treated with respect every step of the way.
It also means our wool is ZQ Certified – the New Zealand standard that assures high levels of animal welfare, environmental care, social responsibility, and fiber quality across the industry.
We choose to pay above market rates for our wool, ensuring we continue to back those good practices and help put wool on the pedestal it belongs.
What else goes into an Honest Wolf?
Living on a farm year-round has meant we’ve developed near-impossible expectations of durability. Hence why we specifically use sustainable leather from local farmers, tough and proven YKK hardware, and durable cotton linings to bring our Honest Wolves to life.
Local Leather
Native New Zealand Leather is the natural choice to blend with our Papanui Estate Wool. We have partnerships with local farmers who work with the same ethical methods as us. The end result is always robust, takes on a defined shape, and is completely chrome-free..
100% cotton
We chose a 100% cotton lining because it’s long lasting, easy to clean and stain proof. Better still, our cotton is detailed with a topographical map of Papanui Estate. The print includes the historic names of each paddock and shows you exactly where your Honest Wolf started out.
ykk hardware
There’s no point investing in high quality materials if you’re going to put them together with sub-par fixtures. YKK Zips are world renowned for durability and functionality. We’ve ensured each piece is held together with the farm-tested YKK hardware, and given the best possible chance of lasting a lifetime.
