ABOUT US

Wilson & Dorset the people (Ben & Amanda), the romantic partnership and the business are inextricably linked. And while the first product range appeared in 2004, the seeds for Wilson & Dorset were planted generations ago.

ABOUT US
Legacy of exporters

Legacy of exporters

Ben comes from a long line of exporters, his great great grandfather spearheading one of the first ships to export frozen sheep meat out of Otago, New Zealand in 1881.

Rooted in tradition

Rooted in tradition

Animal products have been central to the family business since, his father’s company helping set up a sheepskin tannery in Xuanhua, China in 1997 – a factory which today treats all Wilson & Dorset sheepskins.

A Sheepskin awakening

Being brought up on a farm, and sheepskin being in surplus in the Wilson family, Ben’s childhood lounge had wall-to-wall patched together sheepskin carpet – the sense of comfort it brought stayed with him as he exported sheepskins around the world as part of the family business.

On a trip to Tokyo, he saw his own natural sheepskin next to an identical synthetic version and realised they were overengineering their product. The idea for a new way of working with sheepskin had entered the ether.

A Sheepskin awakening

The Dorset

And then there’s the Dorset – Amanda, the creative powerhouse, who found her own way to sheepskin. The Canterbury born lawyer, was on partner track in Sydney while her mother campaigned for her return to New Zealand. It would come to pass that Amanda would meet Lisa Thompson at a concert who worked at the innovative merino company Icebreaker and Amanda would ask if there were any jobs going. There was, and Amanda headed back to New Zealand where she fell in love with the properties of wool and played an integral role in the growth of one of New Zealand’s most successful brands.

The Dorset

Sparks, Sheepskin & a Shared Vision

Amanda and Ben had had some seemingly insignificant run ins at high school but they set the scene for their reunion in their late 20s. Amanda, hearing about a party down South through a mutual high school friend, invited herself to Ben’s housewarming on the West Coast where helicopters were choppering in fresh stag and dozens of fresh lobster.
Amanda’s previous memories of Ben as a shy, reserved type were dismissed with the retelling of a death defying jetboat adventure to the party’s guests. The match was lit and sometime later there would be a first date where Ben would pitch his idea of a modernised sheepskin business for Amanda’s input. Both Amanda and her input turned out to be invaluable and Ben wasn’t going to take either for granted.

From Teapot Cocktails to Forever

There would be a first kiss at a New Year’s party after teapot cocktails at Minaret Station and eventually Amanda’s love for Ben and the magic of Central Otago would see her move to Wānaka to solidify the partnership.

From Teapot Cocktails to Forever
The Shaggy Bean Bag Great for Shagging

Then there’s the product. In 2010 Wilson & Dorset’s first range was developed and pop up stores were held over Wānaka’s busy winter months amongst their day time jobs and the birth of their two children.

A New Chapter Begins

The business quietly grew a cult following and in 2016 they opened their first permanent retail store in Central Wānaka and in 2017 they started shipping worldwide through wilsonanddorset.com.

A New Chapter Begins

Expanding Horizons

In 2022 Ben & Amanda convinced her ex Icebreaker colleague and friend Lisa Thompson to join her as the company’s first CEO and in 2024 two new stores were opened in Arrowtown and Bowral Australia.

Expanding Horizons