Lempriere Supplying the great fashion houses with wool since 1857
For over 150 years the fashion houses of Europe, England, Japan and North America have trusted the Lempriere family to source and process their wool.
Be it Burberry or Austin Reed of London, Zegna or Cerruti in Italy, or St. John Knits in the USA, for these and many others Lempriere has been the supplier behind the brands.
The Lempriere reputation has been earned through integrity and quality. It is proud of its many multi-generational relationships with customers. One is reputed to be the oldest unbroken supplier relationship in fashion textiles; each year for over 100 years the Lempriere family has sourced and processed wool for Lanificio di Tollegno S.P.A. in Biella, northern Italy.
During its history 1.8 billion kilograms of the finest sheep wool or 12 million bales have been sourced from the highlands of Tasmania, the alps of New Zealand, the outback of Australia, the wilderness of Patagonia and the savannah of South Africa.
Now in its 5th generation of stewardship, the company is led by William Lempriere (Managing Director).
Lempriere is now firmly placed to offer their wealth of experience, dedication to quality and business integrity.
Due to astute decisions and foresight over the past 150 years, Lempriere is now firmly placed to offer their wealth of experience, dedication to quality and business integrity. Lempriere continues to be focused on growing the business in global markets, understanding the needs of the final customer and ensuring the business delivers value and a superior level of customer service.
Now in the 5th generation of stewardship, Lempriere has sourced 12 million bales of the finest sheep wool; a far cry from the original 139 bales purchased in 1857.
In 2000, the business began to implement its global sourcing strategy and rapidly opened businesses in Argentina, USA and South Africa. Today Lempriere is one of the world's largest wool merchants and processors.
FORGING NEW RELATIONSHIPS & NEW PATHS FOR WOOL - THE MERINO COMPANY
Since its inception in 2005, The Merino Company (TMC) has become a specialist in the sourcing, manufacture and global sales of merino and merino products, providing natural fibre, textile and apparel solutions for leading retailers and brands globally.
TMC works directly with dedicated wool growers around the world, sourcing specific qualities and quantities of wool to best meet customer needs. With global capabilities, either owned as part of the Lempriere group, or through select partners, in early stage processing, spinning, knitting, weaving and garment manufacture, TMC is able to manage the entire supply chain from wool grower through to customer, or work with the customer’s existing vendors.
TMC is renowned for its expertise in new merino innovations, developing advanced technologies from luxurious soft and colourful next-to-skin jersey fabrics to medical breakthroughs in socks.
TRACEABILITY & INTEGRITY
The Merino Company (TMC) is unique in its ability to provide a true “Sheep to Shelf” (S2S) solution. Customers more than ever are demanding to know where the raw materials in their products have come from. In taking the wool from Sheep to Shelf , TMC has the ability to trace the entire supply chain back to the farms where the fibre is grown.
TMC Traceability from Sheep to Shelf:
- Completion of all certifications on farm and throughout the supply chain.
- Complete traceability and certification for each movement of the wool from grower through to the customer.
- Consumers are able to access traceability via an interactive web-based S2S program developed by TMC.
Differentiating Wool For the Future
TMC considers product differentiation through brand marketing a key strategy in providing customers with unique tools to market their wool products and respond to consumer trends.
TMC’s connection from Sheep to Shelf® and throughout the supply chain enables an unparalleled flow of information, with in-market sales teams providing a local contact and developing a close relationship with customers to understand their overall business, their consumers, their existing wool programs and opportunities for growth of their wool based business.
TMC has developed specific fibre brand platforms in line with global customer and consumer values and also works with customers to develop tailored product marketing support concepts such as brand names, logos, swing tags, packaging, point of sale materials and advertising concepts. In-depth knowledge of member farms and supply chain partners provides complete transparency and traceability together with product accreditation, all presenting TMC with the opportunity to provide customers and their consumers with a unique product and best communicate their point of difference.
