Ep 25: Peri Drysdale: Untouched World – finding common ground and a richer sense of relationships

As a company name, “Untouched World” hints at something quietly distinctive: beautiful materials, restrained elegance. Along with that, a significant recognition for sustainability and high quality. A Christchurch-based company, it counts among its wearers some very recognisable public figures.I met founder and CEO, Peri Drysdale, at this year’s “Unity in Diversity” dinner – an annual event led by mosque attack survivor, Farid Ahmed. I was curious about where these worlds meet – his and hers – and about the common ground that Peri sees in Farid’s work. Hence this conversation. On its website, Untouched World speaks of being “the first fashion company in the world to be recognised by the United Nations for sustainability.” To reach that stage has taken a vision, and a fair share of determination. Early on Peri was struck by the importance of branding; of a country’s name – its identity – being seen as synonymous with certain qualities. And of adding value to anything you produce. She’d grown up in a time before the EU when raw materials from New Zealand – butter, dairy, beef and lamb – were almost reliant on the UK as a single market. As a woman in business, and first targeting Japan, hers has been a journey of discovery – of self and of others – to a wider sense of relationships: from the way you work, to the people you work with. A journey that reveals many layers beneath the first impressions.