The Matilda Cardigan is one named knitwear piece at RUBY, the New Zealand fashion label established in 2002. Auckland's Wynn Hamlyn combines knitwear with relaxed tailoring, including slouchy trousers within the brand's clothing range. Zambesi Store carries the New Zealand label's own women's and men's knitwear alongside its wider ready-to-wear collections. The Ponsonby shop also selects international designers, including Comme des Garçons and Rick Owens, alongside its house line.
3 Wise Men is a New Zealand menswear brand. It began when Richard Miles and two friends, Hugh Cotterill and Simon Peacocke, saw a gap for quality shirts at a sharp price in 2004. Miles opened the first store near Broadway in Newmarket, Auckland, in 2005 and sold online from the start. Shirts in soft cotton remain the core of the range. Suits and knitwear now sit alongside them in the stores.
Best for Men’s business shirts and casual shirts
3 Wise Men grew out of a conversation in 2004 between three friends in Auckland: Richard Miles with Hugh Cotterill and Simon Peacocke. All three had lived overseas and found that shirt shopping back in New Zealand meant thin choice at high cost. Miles was then general manager of sales at Bendon. He used his contacts in Hong Kong to find a high-end shirtmaker willing to run 25 to 50 pieces per colour and design from its sample room. He then left his job and opened the first 3 Wise Men store near Broadway in Newmarket in 2005. A second store followed just off Lambton Quay in Wellington. The business paired its shops with an online store from the start, a rare thing for New Zealand menswear at the time. Early marketing leaned on a database of 800 friends and quirky emails, plus shirts with local names such as the mint surf shirt. The brand's rules still read plainly: quality gear at affordable prices, simple pricing with no sales, and shirts in soft, rich cotton built to last. The range has widened to suits and knitwear, as well as footwear and accessories, across stores in New Zealand.
Mountain Country designs, knits and manufactures possum merino knitwear on site in Auckland, New Zealand, from a factory shop at 1/113 Vincent Street, Howick. Garments including capes, wraps, scarves, cardigans and jerseys are made from a blend of merino, possum and mulberry silk or pure merino wool.
Zambesi is a New Zealand fashion label (trading as "Zambesi since 79") producing avant-garde women's and men's ready-to-wear, knitwear, footwear and accessories. The Ponsonby store also curates international designers including Comme des Garçons, Dries Van Noten, Rick Owens and Acne Studios.
Best for Zambesi ready-to-wear plus Comme des Garçons and Rick Owens
Grown from Peri Drysdale's Christchurch knitwear company Snowy Peak, Untouched World makes merino and possum-blend clothing manufactured in New Zealand. The brand runs its flagship store and café in Christchurch.
A family-owned business in Stoke, Nelson, Nelson Merino designs and produces New Zealand-made merino knitwear and accessories for men, women and children. Garments are sold through its online store and at the Nelson and Motueka weekend markets.
Kapeka makes luxury knitwear - sweaters, cardigans, jackets and accessories - in New Zealand, using blends of merino wool, New Zealand possum fur, mulberry silk, cashmere and alpaca. Collections include a Merinosilk blend and a Cervelt fibre range.
McDonald Textiles knits jerseys, jackets, cardigans and accessories in New Zealand from a signature blend of 35% possum fur, 55% merino wool and 10% mulberry silk. Its baby collection uses undyed wool from a flock of 200 black sheep.
Perriam is a Central Otago merino label rooted in Bendigo Station, selling knitwear, loungewear, and homeware made from New Zealand wool. The brand runs boutiques in Wanaka and Tarras, both stocked with the same pieces available through its online shop.
Best for New Zealand merino knitwear, loungewear and homeware
The Fantail House sells New Zealand-made gifts from a Parnell building built in 1980 by Les and Zena Harvey. A second store trades in Rotorua. It carries work from more than 160 local artisans, from pounamu greenstone jewellery to possum merino knitwear. Only goods designed and made in New Zealand are stocked.
Best for Authentic New Zealand-made gifts, souvenirs and greenstone jewellery
The Fantail House is a New Zealand-made gift shop at 237 Parnell Road in Parnell, Auckland, with a second store at 1203 Tutanekai Street in Rotorua. It stocks work from more than 160 New Zealand artisans and creatives. Everything sold was designed, created, crafted or printed in the country. The Parnell building was built in 1980 by Les and Zena Harvey. The business traded there as The Elephant House before it became The Fantail House. The shop says its collection has been assembled in Parnell for nearly 50 years. Ranges include pounamu greenstone jewellery, possum merino knitwear by Native World, and wool and mohair as well as organic merino and alpaca pieces by Masterweave. Vintage New Zealand tourism prints sit beside native bird prints from Buller's Birds, along with kitchen and homeware, Kiwiana keepsakes and easy-to-post gifts. Free eco-friendly gift wrapping and card writing are offered, and orders ship nationwide and internationally. Gifting for businesses and conferences is handled as a separate service. In March 2026 three staff travelled to the South Island to learn more about pounamu. The shop's journal records the trip and the cultural significance of the stone.
This family-owned Wanaka business knits merino wool and possum fur into clothing, accessories, and yarn for men, women, children, and babies. Shoppers can browse the collection at the store on Helwick Street or order online with international shipping.
Best for Wanaka-made merino and possum knitwear, accessories and yarn
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