‘Mumpreneurs’ Becky Sharman and Amy Whetu established Zee Zee Merino Clothing after seeing a gap in the market. We interviewed Becky to find out more about Zee Zee Merino and life as a Mumpreneur.
Tell us a little about Zee Zee Merino
Zee Zee Merino Clothing is a gorgeous range of 100% pure New Zealand Merino Clothing for children aged 0-10. All garments are made right here in New Zealand from our delicious Zee Zee Merino fabric.
We currently have three collections:
- Little Zee Merino for 0-2 year olds
- Zee Zee Merino for 3-10 year olds, and
- The Vintage Zee Zee range also for 3-10 year olds
We have an online store www.zeezeemerino.co.nz where we sell our Zee Zee Merino clothing.
What was the inspiration behind your business?
We started Zee Zee Merino Clothing in 2007 as a result of seeing a lack of wool clothing options available for our own children beyond the baby years. Our thinking was that wool needed to become appealing to children and parents alike, as children need to be warm and toasty to thrive and be healthy. We were determined to have our clothing made in New Zealand so that we could be sure that our garments are made in a fair and healthy work environment, and so we could offer a sincerely healthy and natural merino product for children. We also had a desire to make a difference in the world and had been constantly thinking of ideas that could assist us in doing so. Zee Zee Merino has enabled us to do this to a degree through our gifting commitment from the beginning to give 10% of all our profits back to charitable organisations in need.
Why merino?
Merino wool was the obvious choice for us to make our wool clothing for children. Our Zee Zee Merino fabric is wonderful. Merino is a beautiful natural fibre and has the amazing ability to self-regulate, keeping its wearer cool in summer and warm as toast in the winter. It draws moisture away from the skin, keeping skin warm and dry. It also has a naturally high sun protective factor and contains natural fire retardants. There is no better fabric in which to clothe your children.
We searched and experimented intensively to find the most durable yet lightweight merino fabric. We discovered that there are many different types of merino fabric and they are definitely not all created equal. We wanted a merino fabric that would stand up to the adventures that children have in their day and would wash up and look awesome again and again! Our desire was to see merino being worn everyday by children, and that parents would feel confident that it would not get ruined. They would know that when it gets dirty it only needs to be thrown in the washing machine and it will look fantastic again! Our Merino wool is also Zque accredited so definitely comes from happy, healthy sheep who are well cared for, have not been mulesed, and have been farmed in harmony with the environment.
What do you love most about your clothing?
It is so hard to say as we love it all. The merino for a start has all its amazing properties and it feels so good. We love that our range is a natural, healthy product and it has been made in an ethical work environment. We love that we have a range that combines an amazing merino, functional styles and awesome designs. One thing about our merino garments with prints on the front is that they come with a sticker on the swing tag that has a picture of the print and explains what it is. This is cool for the kids as they know what it is they have on their tee and is educational too. It’s something a bit different which we think is great.
What’s it like being a Mumpreneur?
We love firstly being sisters, friends, mums and business partners together. We love having a dream and working together on it. We are really blessed having each other to motivate us in our business and to be accountable to each other to get things done. Being a Mumpreneur is pretty crazy at times. Work kind of never leaves us but we are always there for our family when they need us, as they are our number one priority. Business is always done in kid’s sleep times and the odd evening and weekend, and around the meals, laundry and household chores. It can be intense and just working out how to find time for ourselves seems to be the challenge at the moment. We are so fortunate to have amazing husbands who are very supportive. We couldn’t do it without them. It is so exciting to have a dream and a project to work on that is ours, and that provides a different kind of stimulation to motherhood.
What are your aspirations for the future?
Our dream would be to have so many children toasty and warm in Zee Zee Merino Clothing and that the 10% we give back will make a really big difference.
To view and purchase the Zee Zee Merino range, please visit www.zeezee.co.nz
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