Wānaka outdoor performance wear brand Mons Royale is celebrating its 15th anniversary and the opening of its new retail store in Wānaka.

Mons Royale was founded by husband and wife Hamish and Hannah Acland in 2009. Over the past 15 years the brand has grown from a passion project into a global leader in Merino wool apparel and is stocked in more than 1,000 stores across the world.

“We’re incredibly proud to celebrate 15 years of Mons Royale,” Hamish said.

“It’s been a huge decade and a half of taking the best of New Zealand to the world and we’re excited to keep pushing the boundaries of innovation in performance wear.”

Hamish, a former competitive skier, saw an opportunity in the market for high-performance and stylish merino wool-based adventure clothing.

“When I was on tour I noticed that there was no modern apparel out there,” he said.

“I thought it was a real gap in the market and so Hannah and I came back to New Zealand and got to work with the dream of making technical clothing that transitions from the mountain to the high street.

“It’s been a huge amount of work and I can’t thank our awesome team enough for everything they’ve done for the brand. I still love seeing people walking down the street in our clothing and we’re pleased to be showcasing New Zealand wool and innovation on the world stage.”

Mons Royale employs more than 40 staff and has offices in Wānaka, Innsbruck and British Columbia, with the brand just opening its fifth retail store, this one in Wānaka, where the business is headquartered.

“It’s a very cool thing to create the physical manifestation of the brand when you create a retail store. We love it and we’re just starting to learn the game of retail, the next step is retail stores overseas,” Hannah said.

Sustainability has also formed a key part of the Mons Royale story, with the brand obtaining B Corp certification in 2024.

“As keen adventurers we’re all really passionate about sustainability,” Hannah said.

“We consistently prioritise natural materials, ethical production practices, and reducing waste throughout our supply chain and we’re really pleased to have that recognised through B Corp certification.”

Hamish said they feel very fortunate to do something they love.

"We’re just getting started and we’re excited for the next 15-years of Mons Royale,” he said.