In Orbell Street, Sydenham – once a hub for textile manufacturing in Ōtautahi Christchurch – most of the knitwear factories have long since closed. One of the last remaining is Weft Knitting Company. We meet the company’s tenacious founder Hugh Douglas, whose influence and impact extends well beyond the factory walls. Early 2023, news stories began popping up about a Canterbury clothing company sending warm merino garments and underwear to war-torn Ukraine to help give comfort to Ukrainian soldiers. Weft has been on my radar ever since, and I am delighted to have secured today’s interview with company founder Hugh Douglas. Arriving at Weft’s premises, I am greeted by a trim 70-year-old who looks much younger than his years and has plenty of energy to boot. ‘This place is what keeps me going,’ he says, after politely dismissing the idea there could be a quiet retirement up ahead. ‘This is what gets me up in the morning and keeps me motivated. At age 70, I’ve still got 20 active years to go in business with the support of my family.’ He’s been at the helm of Weft for more than four decades, steering the business through various marketing and production challenges with trademark focus and determination. The company was an early adopter of advanced wholegarment knitting technology, and the introduction of merino wool/possum fur blends from the late 1990s proved another astute move. Over the past six years, there has been a large investment in new knitting technology. Faster knitting times, as well as bringing in more wholegarment machines, has helped keep the business competitive. Weft’s brands include luxury Noble Wilde Knitwear, Bay Road Merinos, and a thermal wear range of Thermerino and Thermadry undergarments. Weft sells into both New Zealand and offshore markets. ‘Weft’s exports to the UK and Europe have increased steadily over the last 16 years, thanks primarily to our New Zealand sales and marketing manager and our European sales manager, based in London,’ explains Hugh. As we chat, it becomes clear that Hugh cares deeply about his staff and is always ready to give support when needed, for example with financial budgeting. ‘What people don’t necessarily appreciate is that Weft is not a sweatshop; we’re providing good long-term careers for skilled Christchurch people. I like to lead by example: I am hard-working, I know all my 73 staff by name. They are my extended family, and myself and my management team are always concerned about their wellbeing.’  The depth of that connection becomes obvious when we take a walk around Weft’s extensive factory floor and warehouse premises, where we meet staff members like Ukrainian paediatrician Iryna Pershakova, who came to New Zealand to join her son almost two years ago and is very grateful to have found a safe refuge here. Alongside her work in the factory and ongoing English classes, she makes traditional dolls to fundraise for children’s hospital care in Ukraine. We also meet Rob Harris, who started at Weft as a 15-year-old and is still with the company 13 years later. ‘Hugh is a great man,’ says Rob, noting how Hugh has always gone the extra mile for him. ‘I don’t think people realise how big his heart is.’

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Julie Wightman is passionate about design, fashion, sustainability and most importantly colour. For her, it all comes back to colour.