Swanndri was founded in 1913 by William Broome who produced a wool ‘bush shirt.’ Although Broome was a tailor, he noticed that farmers and forestry workers of the time were not equipped for the tough conditions of Taranaki winters, and that’s what inspired him to create the first Swanndri bush shirt or “Swanni”. The first bush shirt, had a collar and short sleeves and was treated with a secret formula which made the water roll of the back of the garment like water did off a Swan, and hence the name, Swanndri.
Around decade later, the ‘Swanni’ was upgraded to have long sleeves and a hood added and has remained unchanged since, now known as The Original. Swanndri’s traditional and heritage ranges remain an important part of their overall assortment, however as New Zealand’s population has moved from provincial to urban the brand has evolved with its consumer’s lifestyle and fashion demands.
Swanndri now uses the DNA from the ‘Swanni’ which has a well-known reputation of being well made, rugged and long lasting, to produce more relevant product for the urban markets today. Some of these products like the Hudson or the Seattle are new renditions of the Original, and others like the Highland and Dobson down jackets are a little more removed but still having the DNA at the core of the product and all are made wholly or partly from New Zealand wool.
Swanndri can now be found all around the world, in stores and on the backs of people from all sorts of backgrounds and for all manner of adventures…hence the brands tag line Outdoor Everyday since 1913.
