New Zealand aviator flies into Queenstown boutique

The strong and supple spirit of New Zealand aviator Jean Batten is reflected in a brand new bomber jacket now available at BONZ, Queenstown’s home of the Best of New Zealand leatherwear.

The ‘Batten’ jacket complements a previously designed ‘bomber’ style jacket in the store known as the ‘Jean’.

BONZ owner Bonnie Rodwell says the bomber jackets were named after the famous aviator because they would have been wonderful garments for her to wear and they’re made from incredibly supple and soft yet strong, babylamb skins.

“These garments are absolutely beautiful and also extremely functional. They’re elegant yet useful. Great for flying a plane and stylish enough to wear out for an evening. And, they’re as warm as can be.”

“The ‘Batten’ is shorter in style than the ‘Jean’ making it very useful to wear with a range of outfits but most particularly as an everyday casual jacket.”

In line with strict BONZ environmental ethos, the jackets are made from pure New Zealand babylamb skin produced from lambs that naturally die at birth or very soon after. The skins are collected from farms all around New Zealand, before being sent to a South Island tannery where they are worked into soft durable leather with excellent insulation qualities that is highly suitable for producing timeless fashion garments.

“The final garments are lighter in weight and heavier in elegance than traditional sheepskin jackets. We fashion these skins using only the highest production values and timeless designs because they last a lifetime.”

The ‘Jean’ and ‘Batten’ jackets are now available at www.bonzgroup.co.nz or in the flagship store in Queenstown.

Jean Gardner Batten was a New Zealand aviatrix. Born in Rotorua, she became the best-known New Zealander of the 1930s, internationally, by taking a number of record-breaking solo flights across the world.

More about Babylamb
New Zealand has a sheep population of around 45 million. Every year in spring, around 30 million lambs are born. Of these 10% will die naturally at birth and in a cold season a further 5% can die within 2-3 days. Of this total, around 1 – 1.5million are able to be collected and tanned for use in garments. The pelts are flatter, softer and silkier than any other lamb leather so provide the wearer with total luxury.
All BONZ babylamb jackets are made from NZ lambs, and are all natural skins, ethically produced.