Kate Macdonald is reinventing the classic Kiwi staple, the homespun jersey, and elevating it to a luxury fashion item that can take you anywhere, from the beach to the bar, and everywhere in between.
Many of us know wool is cool, but Kate has taken the bull by the horns in her mission to elevate strong wool from being pigeon-holed to carpet and upholstery fabric, embracing new ways to utilise the crossbred clip.
She and her two siblings are the fifth generation of the Macdonald family to farm Davaar Station, 20 minutes from Te Anau. A beautiful heritage property spanning 1100 hectares and running sheep and cattle, Kate feels a strong connection to the land, which has been in her family for over 100 years.
When Kate returned to the station at the beginning of 2020, she planned to work for her parents for six months before venturing on her OE. Covid had other plans, though, and the OE was shelved as the global pandemic took hold. She immersed herself in farm life and even got a couple of working dogs.
Talking with her parents about the strong wool situation and the depressed prices, they got to throwing around ideas about how to add value to the wool they produced. Kate wanted something with a point of difference that would showcase the potential of crossbred wool.
Davaar & Co was launched in February 2022, offering timeless wardrobe staples for the fashion-conscious punter, using 100% sheep wool fibres and made in New Zealand from start to finish. The wool jersey range features the aptly named The Modern Musterer, The Suave Shepherd, The Wild Wanderer and The Lucky Lass models.
They recently opened their flagship store, fittingly housed in the old shearer’s quarters on Davaar Station, which handily happens to sit on the State Highway between Te Anau and Mossburn.
Describe yourself in 3 words: Empathetic, ambitious, genuine.
Was there a lightbulb moment for you? In the uni holidays I used to work as a rousie, and that sparked my interest in wool. I had always been interested, and confused, as to why strong wool prices were so bad. It’s such an amazing product and has so much potential. Mum and dad and I would often talk about it, and how we could add value to our wool. We talked about things like blankets, scarves, hats, but I wanted to create something with a point of difference, something no one else was doing.
I think the lightbulb moment was when I was out on the farm one day, wearing an old woollen jersey my granny had knitted for me. I thought I could re-create the homespun, but in a fashionable way, something that was unisex and in a neutral colour palette. Mum and dad agreed it was the best idea we’d had.
Why is wool cool? How renewable and sustainable it is – and that’s a story I want to delve into more. I want to tell our followers and customers about the benefits of wool, and why we should wear more wool as opposed to synthetically made garments. I have an idea of planting a wool jersey and a synthetic jersey in the ground and digging it up a year or so later to conclude our findings. I think we all already know what would have biodegraded and what wouldn't have, but it's this sort of marketing we need to be doing in order to help sell our product and raise awareness about wool.
There’s often a lot of talk about Merino versus crossbred too, but I don’t believe they should be compared at all, they’re completely different fibres and have different uses. I hope that one day farmers will be able to get much better prices for their crossbred wool, and that a business like ours can showcase and enhance the fibre.
Best piece of advice you’ve ever been given? It’s from my dad. Dad has been a big part of Davaar & Co and I couldn’t have done it without his knowledge, support and advice. He has been my mentor, and I don’t take that for granted.
Dad has always said “time is your ally”. When I was younger, I didn’t really know what that meant but as I’ve got older, I’ve realised it’s about how you use your time. Spend your time wisely, use your hours in each day wisely and time will be on your side – your friend, your ally.
Dream way to spend a day? Something with water. I’m such a water baby. It would be down at the lake or by the river, even at the beach, with family and friends, sun and a BBQ. I’m definitely a summer girl, and I just love the water.
Biggest learning in business? I’ve made a lot of mistakes, just my naivety and lack of knowledge, which is probably down to inexperience and my age. I think my biggest learning would be to ask for advice, get a second opinion, you don’t need to rush in and make a decision immediately. I hate indecision, but definitely it would be to ask for help.
What are you reading/listening to? I’ve just started reading It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover. I wanted a light read and I love reading at night time, it helps me switch off from the day.
I love podcasts too. I listen to music when I run or exercise, but when I’m doing something mindless, like tagging jerseys, I like a podcast. I listen to Andy Frisella a lot, he’s an American and great for motivation and inspiration – though he does swear a lot! His perspective and ethics make sense to me.
I listen to the KIC (Keep it Cleaner) podcast with Stef Claire Smith and Laura Henshaw, two Australian girls who are doing well in business. They have great advice and bring in good guests. I also enjoy the Kate Ivey DediKate podcast and From the Ground Up – it’s good to hear about other people doing similar things in the rural industries in New Zealand.
Favourite childhood memory from the farm? My siblings Anna, Ben and I are really close, which is very special. Mum and dad ingrained family values in us from a young age. One of my favourite memories is being at the woolshed with our moonhoppers. When the boys were shearing, we loved to go down to the woolshed, listen to the music and hop around. Sleeping in the wool, and playing in it, the woolshed was a big part of life growing up.
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