Authentic. Traceable. Insanely Soft.

The Shearing Shed Spark

The story of Bluey began in my father’s shearing shed in Guyra, NSW. Standing among the dust and the scent of lanolin, I realised the Merino top I was wearing had been made overseas. When I asked my dad what happened to our wool once it left the farm, he didn’t have an answer.

I soon discovered a frustrating industry reality: 86% of Australia's premium wool is shipped offshore, blended with inferior fibres, and sold back to us—its quality and story diluted along the way. I knew there had to be a better way to honour the fibre and the growers who produce it. So, in 2012, I launched a little brand called Bluey Merino, uniquely making garments from single-sourced, non-mulesed merino wool. It stays pure, strong, and honest.

Building a Foundation of Trust

Since those early days, we have been rewriting that narrative. We made a deliberate choice to stay small so we would never have to compromise on the purity of our fibre.

In 2017, we took a big stand on transparency that very few small brands would even attempt. We invested $7,000 of our own money into a rigorous, independent audit to secure the "Pure New Wool" certificate.

Back then, that investment was so much more than just a badge to us; it was a technical receipt proving our 100% wool purity and elite performance standards. While we now use our own proprietary traceability systems, that certification remains historical proof that our integrity is built on verified quality.

Meeting "Insanely Soft"

Our obsession with getting things just right eventually led to what we consider our proudest milestone: our Insanely Soft 14.8 Micron Range. The secret behind this fabric actually goes back to my dad, John, and my stepmother, Barbara, on our old family farm at Black Mountain, NSW. 

Long before it was the standard thing to do, they took a bit of a scientific approach to their Saxon merino sheep. They tested and mapped out the exact micron of every single fleece to breed wool that was ultra-fine but still incredibly strong. A genuine 14.8-micron fleece is incredibly rare and hard to find, sitting right at the absolute peak of premium wool.

While most "high-end" wool can still feel a bit scratchy, our clip is inspired by their early farm experiments. It is so fine that it is physically impossible to itch, offering a zero-itch, silk-like feel that is perfect for sensitive skin. If you fancy a deeper look into how they figured it all out, you can read the full story in our journal article, The 14.8 Micron Legacy.

Keeping it Real

When COVID-19 arrived, it forced a complete rethink of how Bluey operated. For years, I had poured my heart into travelling the country, setting up stalls, and connecting with people at physical markets. But as the pandemic pushed the business to adapt, my wife, Emma, made me see that taking Bluey entirely online could be a real, viable thing.

In 2021, Emma stepped in to take full charge of running the business day-to-day. While I still stay close to my roots by overseeing our wool processing and Australian manufacturing, Emma is the one driving Bluey forward now. She brought a fresh creative direction, deeply inspired by "The quiet pursuit of the extraordinary"—a philosophy defined by Brand Tasmania that perfectly encapsulates the authentic island way of doing things. Emma is passionate about less plastic, reducing textile landfill waste, and taking a stand against overconsumption, staying transparent unlike many companies that engage in greenwashing.

By 2022, we were looking for a fresh change—a genuine place away from the noise and buzz of the mainland big city. That search led us to relocate our headquarters to George Town, Tasmania. We chose this island for its raw, rugged beauty and unforgiving climate—the ultimate testing ground for our performance gear.

Choosing to keep our manufacturing local isn't a marketing strategy or a numbers game for us. It is simply about staying true to the incredible skills of Australian makers and keeping our entire process completely honest, from the paddock to the final stitch. Today, 98% of our range is proudly made right here in Australia, and we are working hard every day to close that final gap to 100%. When you choose to wear our gear, you are doing so much more than just buying a piece of clothing. You are actively backing our local farmers, rejecting the cycle of fast fashion, and helping to sustain a living heritage of Australian textile making.

Andrew & Emma