In 1913, Taranaki tailor William Broome, frustrated by the incessant New Zealand rain, developed a work shirt with a secret waterproofing. The work shirt, made from 100% pure New Zealand wool, was fabled for its durability and practicality, and quickly became the choice of pioneering New Zealanders the length and breadth of the country, its unsurpassed fabric keeping them warm and dry in the winter and cool in the summer. William named the shirt the Swanndri, because of the way the water ran off your back. To this day the original design remains unchanged, and is as relevant to today's New Zealanders as it was almost one hundred years ago.