Our passion is using merino wool, a 100% natural fibre, to design and make beautiful products for babies and children all around the world.
We are a collection of people from diverse backgrounds doing something that we enjoy and which is fun and rewarding (and challenging!). There are some core values and inspirations though that are common to us all and which underpin everything that we do here at whippersnapper - and here they are:
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The freedom and possibilities of childhood |
Simple things that don't cost the earth |
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Craftmanship, design and quality |
The natural genious of merino wool |
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And we live in a place of 100% pure inspiration - New Zealand.
We live in a land at the bottom of the southern hemisphere, a land renowned for its great outdoors, its icy, free-flowing rivers and crystal clear lakes, its pristine deserted beaches, remote forest wilderness, lush pastoral valleys, fairytale mountains, bubbling thermal springs, stunning, halting beauty at every turn. We are surrounded by nature that simply takes your breath away.
We are small, isolated and far from it all…but as kids we feel huge, we feel like adventurers and conquerors, we know what it is like to feel on top of the world.
We are barefoot kings and queens with nature literally at our feet as we sprint along a deserted beach or up a grassy hill!
Chris Twiss, Founder
Some of my own story..
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1966 (Born) Oamaru, South Island, New Zealand
Mum’s third boy in three years. Her quest for a baby girl ends immediately. The Twiss boys in a wicked set of home knitted wooly jerseys. These were the itchy kind!
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1976 Waitaki Valley, South Island, New Zealand
In full adventure mode growing up in the Waitaki Valley. Biking, swimming, running, camping, fishing, rafting, building huts and generally indulging in dangerous fun. Mum takes out her ‘no girls’ frustrations by making beautiful clothes for her boys – and always "on trend" with her designs!
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1986 Clinton and Owaka, (Deep) South Island, New Zealand
Selling sheep and cattle and doing other cool farming related stuff. Studying Wool Handling Systems at Massey University.
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1996 London, United Kingdom
In London doing a stint as a lawyer. This photo has nothing to do with London - it's taken near Waimate in the South island of New Zealand - but I had to get a picture of my Mum in somewhere! And she loved it when I was a lawyer!
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2006 Auckland, North Island, New Zealand
Team up with Italian designer Claudia Pellizzaro and the first whippersnapper clothing range ("adventure 07") is launched.
Byron, Gabriel and William in the first whippersnapper clothing test-run - literally! (Cheltenham Beach, Auckland, New Zealand).
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