Why start a business making and selling cold-weather hats and scarves in a warming world?
It’s a fair question. Global warming — once the dominant term — is now more accurately understood as climate change. Because it isn’t just getting warmer everywhere. It’s getting more chaotic: hotter in some places, colder in others. Wetter. Drier. More unpredictable all around. And the effects are happening everywhere now, not in some distant future
Ask any skier or snowboarder, and I've saw it myself when skiing in NZ this week. The winter sports are being reshaped by climate change. Some alpine areas are seeing record snowfall, while others are struggling to get enough to even open their lifts. Resorts are pushing chairlifts higher up the mountain, opening up new terrain in search of snow. Meanwhile, places that used to enjoy long, consistent seasons are facing patchy, unreliable winters
Warmer air holds more moisture. So when it does rain or snow, it often does so in extremes — torrential rainstorms, flooding rivers, or heavy dumps of snow that arrive all at once and then disappear. Drought-stricken regions are drying out further, their soils unable to retain water under the heat. More evaporation means more atmospheric moisture — which fuels more intense storms. And so the cycle continues
This is the new normal...
So what can we do?
There’s no single answer, but we do know the small choices matter. Supporting local, using natural fibres, embracing sustainable production — it all adds up. At Aoraki, we chose to work with wool because it’s renewable, biodegradable, and durable. Lambswool, Merino, Alpaca and Cashmere, in particular, are all high-performance and kind to the earth. Our knitwear is made in New Zealand by real people, not mass-produced offshore. We believe in crafting something that lasts, not just something that fills a shelf
Yes, we make products for the cold. But it’s not because we think winters are going away. It’s because they're changing. In some places, winters are arriving later. In others, they're harsher, wetter, and more extreme. The need to stay warm, dry, and comfortable hasn’t gone away — if anything, it’s become more important. And maybe it’s also a reminder that fashion doesn’t have to be throwaway
A good toque or scarf is more than just a trend. It’s a companion piece — whether you're braving a wet Wellington squall, heading up the mountains to the snow, or just walking the dog on a cold morning
So yes, buy a toque. Wear it well. But also, stay informed. Be part of the conversation. Because climate change isn’t coming — it’s already here