Thank you for the Swanndri, anonymous New Zealander

My family is from New Zealand. I was born there way back in the last millennium but felt the pull of the bright lights and moved off to Australia when I was 18 months old. One thing from New Zealand that is worth knowing about is the Swanndri, This is a big heavy woven wool shirt with a hood and a lace-up collar. It is warm and tough and old-school, like a Filson in Washington or a Pendleton in Oregon. As a child I remember driving around the North Island in my uncle’s old Series 1 Land Rover. Someone had sewn together a blanked for the bench seat out of old worn Swanndris. I remember the texture and the warmth. It’s the thing I most recall from that trip.

Fast forward forty years and lo, I find a nice Swanndri for sale second hand on Vinted, Europe’s best internet site. China has TikTok, the USA has YouTube but Lithuania has Vinted and therefore Lithuania rocks. Someone was cleaning out their closet and the Swanndri went up for sale. The forces of destiny conspired to make me buy it. My ancestors are so honored.

In the late 80s I hitchhiked from the Waikato down to Otago to visit my most distant Kiwi cousin, Kevin. Dunedin was a fun town but colder than the north and everyone wore black with a lot of Swanndris. Now I could fit right in to 80s Dunedin, apart from the Crocs. It’s a look I am proud to wear. Thanks to that anonymous New Zealander who put their Swanndri up for sale.