The Merino Company (TMC), which provides supply chain management services to retailers and apparel brands, has launched TMC Apparel to focus on providing natural fibre, merino garment solutions to leading apparel retailers in Australasia.


The new unit completes TMC's “Source to Shop” offerings by adding garment solutions to TMCfs global network and supply chain capabilities. Based in Christchurch, New Zealand, the business has been staffed with apparel industry veterans.


Geoff Young has been named as general manager of the business. Young has more than 20 years experience in the apparel industry, including stints with Reebok, Asics, adidas and Dunlop. He has widespread experience in the Australasian and U.K markets in manufacturing, sales and marketing, and product design and development, in particular producing merino based garments.

Young also has a strong retail background having managed a nationwide retail chain and dealt extensively with a large number of Australasian retailers through his involvement with Lane Walker Rudkin (LWR).

Geoff Walls, another apparel veteran, has been named business manager. Through various roles within the LWR group in both Auckland and Christchurch he has gained incomparable knowledge and expertise. Geoff also franchised and managed a Canterbury Of New Zealand retail store in central Auckland for 10 years. Both his experience with LWR and Canterbury of New Zealand have enabled him to gain an important insight with both the wholesale and retail markets.

Geoff is looking forward to taking on the challenges presented by TMC Apparel and working with one of the worldfs most exciting products, namely merino.


Susan Robinson has been named apparel merchandiser. She has an extensive commercial background in the design and development of apparel ranges, most recently as senior designer for Kathmandu Limited.

Soon after graduating from Londonfs prestigious design school Central St. Martins, Susan returned to New Zealand. Since then she has had continuous involvement in the development of apparel destined for the Australasian, North American and UK markets. In 1994 she received a New Zealand Trade & Enterprise commendation to recognize her work on export ranges to Japan.


With a passion for merino, and five years experience of designing merino ranges, Susan is looking forward to the opportunity to work as part of a customer]focused team, providing strong product solutions to new and existing clients.

 


TMC provides customers natural wool solutions from sheep to shelf (S2S). It does this by seeking out the worldfs best retail, apparel and textile brand customers and seeking to understand their needs for innovative wool products. TMC then manages the supply chain literally from grower through to customer, or works with the customerfs existing supply chain partners. More than just delivering a wool garment to customers, TMC delivers the product plus other services they value to create a fully packaged wool solution.