Fibre Set To Impress International Fashion Ind.

New Zealand Fibre Set To Impress International Fashion Industry

20 December 2004 -- A new luxury fibre, created from New Zealand deer, may be the most revolutionary textile development seen worldwide in over 150 years.

Known as Cervelt™ and developed by Bay of Plenty business Douglas Creek Ltd, the product is the superfine under-down of the deer coat.

“Cervelt™ is a strong light-weight textile which can be dyed into a variety of colours unlike other products being used by top design houses in the international fashion market,” says Douglas Creek Director Bert McGhee.

Douglas Creek Ltd invested five year’s research into refining technology to develop a system for collecting and separating the down fibre from the coarse outer coat of deer.

“There are many qualities of Cervelt™ yet to be quantified but we believe it is possibly the greatest natural fibre in the world and there is nothing on the market that comes close with trials in Europe and New Zealand exceeding all expectations,” says Mr McGhee.

The average diameter and length of fibres determines the market price with typical diameters of 13 to 20 microns. A 13 micron product can command market prices of tens of thousands of dollars per Kg internationally. Highly sought after super-fine merino wool is about 18 microns; the world’s finest cashmere is 15.5, whereas Cervelt™ is only 13 microns.

New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE) Regional Manager Lionel Crawley says that Douglas Creek are a fantastic example of a local company positioning themselves at the top end of a competitive global market with a value-added product targeting a lucrative niche.

“NZTE’s focus is to assist New Zealand businesses by building up their international capability – and linking them to high-value international opportunities. Douglas Creek have methodically developed their export strategy by utilizing the expertise of the NZTE’s offshore network to identify key contacts in targeted markets. As a result Douglas Creek are forming strategic alliances with key international textile manufacturers and buyers in Europe and Asia”.

“Traditionally New Zealand is among the leaders to whom the global marketplace looks to for natural fibres. Combining Cervelt™ with our burgeoning fashion industry means there are some very thrilling times ahead for New Zealand,” says Mr Crawley.

ENDS

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