TOP SIRE 2026–2027 BEYOND THE FARM First came fabric samples that were each handled and critiqued by Jock. After finally settling on a fabric that felt strong enough for an everyday polo, he moved to the next stage of the process with design samples, trying on the prototypes himself with lots of trial and error in between. “That was really the easy part,” Jock said, when reflecting on the process. In early 2022, Jock’s vision came to life with the launch of a simple Merino wool polo shirt in two colours: navy and cream. The name for his brand, Sir W. Merino, paid homage to his family’s history of breeding superfine Merinos and honoured his great-greatgrandfather, Sir Walter Merriman. “Brand identity was really important,” Jock said. As a small brand, Jock handles all aspects of the business himself, including design, marketing and customer service, which he says gives him a new understanding of how the average consumer sees Merino wool. “Marketing was a real challenge. I would meet one person out of 100 that would say they loved wool and the other 99 wouldn’t know that wool came from a sheep.” Education was best offered in its simplest form, Jock said. “You don’t have long to catch their attention. If they can hold on to one piece of information about Merino wool, that’s a positive thing,” he said. “Every conversation I have is a building block for Merino.” Jock said he was continually building confidence in his products and the market for Merino wool apparel overall. “I used to worry that they wouldn’t hold up or think today might be the day my shirt smells,” he laughed. He continually tests his products, recently documenting a trip on social media where he travelled to India with only four Merino wool shirts for the twoweek trip. “A good Merino shirt should last you four to seven years,” Jock said, noting that the grey t-shirt sample that sparked his journey is still in his wardrobe. As his confidence has grown, so too has the Sir W. Merino range which now features three main shirt designs, manufactured in Shanghai by Diyang, a factory that specialises in fine Merino apparel for premium brands. “I’m still trying to position myself brand wise, focusing on a niche clientele and then I’ll look to branch out as it grows,” he said. While the American market is the main focus for now, Jock said he hopes to be able to expand sales to the Australian market in the near future. “My dream would be to have retail stores and go into it full time.” Based on an Australian Merino wool heritage, Sir W. Merino offers a concise range of men’s shirts with the promise – wear it through a flight, a meeting and dinner, then hang it up for tomorrow. Try it for yourself. >> sirwmerino.com DISCOVER SIR W. MERINO (Photos: Supplied by Sir W. Merino) – 26 –
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