Perilyn Drysdale (née Richards, born 18 March 1953) is a New Zealand entrepreneur and business owner. She is the founder and CEO of the fashion companies "Snowy Peak" and "Untouched World", which produce ecologically sustainable clothing, and the founder of the Untouched World Foundation, which runs programmes in sustainable leadership.

Early life and family

Born in

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...

on 18 March 1953, Drysdale grew up on a sheep station near the

Rakaia Gorge The Rakaia Gorge is located on the Rakaia River in inland Canterbury in New Zealand's South Island. Like its neighbour, the Waimakariri River, the Rakaia runs through wide shingle beds for much of its length, but is forced through a narrow can ...

in the

South Island The South Island, also officially named , is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand in surface area, the other being the smaller but more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman ...

of New Zealand. She was educated at Craighead Diocesan School in

Timaru Timaru (; mi, Te Tihi-o-Maru) is a port city in the southern Canterbury Region of New Zealand, located southwest of Christchurch and about northeast of Dunedin on the eastern Pacific coast of the South Island. The Timaru urban area is home to ...

and St. Margaret's College in

. She went on to train as a nurse, specialising in cardiology. In 1973, she married Alexander Drysdale, and the couple went on to have two children. She gave up nursing in 1979.

Business career

While her children were young, Drysdale decided to start a home-based garment manufacturing business. She called it "Snowy Peak" and employed outworkers to knit luxury clothes such as jumpers, hats, scarves and gloves for supply to a few Christchurch stores. She started with 10 outworkers, and by 1985, after four years operation, she had 500 working for her. Drysdale experimented with certified organic, eco-friendly wools and cottons. In 1996 she launched the world's first yarn that blended possum fur with

merino The Merino is a breed or group of breeds of domestic sheep, characterised by very fine soft wool. It was established in Spain near the end of the Middle Ages, and was for several centuries kept as a strict Spanish monopoly; exports of the bree ...

wool, calling the new yarn "merinomink". She also began to export her clothes to Australia, Europe, Japan and Canada, expanded operations in Christchurch with a cafe and retail store, and opened stores in

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

and Queenstown. In 1999 the brand received international attention when it was chosen to provide garments for world leaders attending the

Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC ) is an inter-governmental forum for 21 member economy, economies in the Pacific Rim that promotes free trade throughout the Asia-Pacific region.

Forum in Auckland. President

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...

particularly admired his sweater, and he and his family became fans and customers. In 2014, Drysdale began using a second new textile which she calls "kapua" - a mixture of cashmere, silk and possum - which had been in development since 2000.

Charity foundation

In 2000, Drysdale founded the "Untouched World Foundation", a charitable trust which is focused on developing sustainable leadership in young people. One percent of the retail sales from Untouched World contribute to the foundation. Since 2002, students involved in the programme have worked on a nature programme based at

Blumine Island Blumine Island / is an island in the outer reaches of Queen Charlotte Sound / Tōtaranui, in the Marlborough Sounds at the northern end of New Zealand's South Island. The New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage gives a translation of "mee ...

in the

Marlborough Sounds The Marlborough Sounds are an extensive network of sea-drowned valleys at the northern end of the South Island of New Zealand. The Marlborough Sounds were created by a combination of land subsidence and rising sea levels. According to Māori m ...

. After several years' work the island achieved predator-free status and

kiwi Kiwi most commonly refers to: * Kiwi (bird), a flightless bird native to New Zealand * Kiwi (nickname), a nickname for New Zealanders * Kiwifruit, an edible berry * Kiwi dollar or New Zealand dollar, a unit of currency Kiwi or KIWI may also refe ...

were released there in 2010.

Recognition

*1993 – appointed a

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

in the

1993 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1993 were appointments by most of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries, and honorary ones to citizens of other countr ...

, for services to manufacturing and export *1999 – included in list of 100 New Zealanders who have made the most significant contribution to the economy. *2002 – South Island Businesswoman of the Year Award *2002 – Snowy Peak won Most Ethical Company Award *2004 – Snowy Peak won Best Retailer Award *2005 – North & South magazine's "New Zealander of the Year" Award *2007 – honorary doctorate from

Lincoln University (New Zealand) Lincoln University (Māori: ''Te Whare Wānaka o Aoraki'') is a New Zealand university that was formed in 1990 when Lincoln College, Canterbury was made independent of the University of Canterbury. Founded in 1878, it is the oldest agricultural ...

*2008 – Supreme Award at the World Class New Zealand Awards for her business achievements, work in showcasing New Zealand overseas and in recognition of her leadership in social and

environmental sustainability Specific definitions of sustainability are difficult to agree on and have varied in the literature and over time. The concept of sustainability can be used to guide decisions at the global, national, and individual levels (e.g. sustainable livi ...

issues. *2020 – inducted into the

New Zealand Business Hall of Fame The New Zealand Business Hall of Fame is a figurative hall of fame dedicated to New Zealanders who have made a significant contribution to the economic and social development of New Zealand. The hall was established in 1994 by the Young Enterpri ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Drysdale, Peri 1953 births Living people Businesspeople from Christchurch New Zealand businesspeople New Zealand Members of the Order of the British Empire People educated at St Margaret's College New Zealand women in business People educated at Craighead Diocesan School