NORSEWEAR

We're pretty excited to announce the opening of our first Norsewear store in decades - introducing, the Norsewear Factory Shop. Locating in the old train station in Waipukurau, we've finally found an official home for Tough Comfort.

The store is not a pop-up or a one-off, but a permanent retail presence for us. Although Norsewear is stocked in retailers across New Zealand, we haven't had a dedicated Norsewear store for almost 20 years.

During the Global Financial Crisis of 2007 and the rise of cheaply made, imported synthetic fibre, the original Norsewear factory premises and store were sold, and only the factory was leased back to Norsewear to continue production. Troubling times, but somehow the business survived.

There's never been an option to take back the management of the retail store in front of the current factory, but we want to be reinvigorating the brand, doubling down on our commitment to using homegrown wool, and continuing the importance of local manufacturing by building a place that people can physically visit too.