From the source

Many would have heard of the paddock-to-plate philosophy, where a restaurant’s produce is linked directly to a single farm or producer. But the newly opened Paddington boutique McIntyre Merino goes one better than that.

The Oxford St store is the creation of husband-and-wife duo Ned Scholfield and Raquel Boedo, who retail a glorious assortment of fine merino wool products — from cardigans to bike shorts — in store (and online).

But the difference is the wool is sourced directly from Scholfield’s ancestral home in Victoria, a sheep station that has been in his family for more than 170 years.

“Our farm was settled by Duncan McIntyre in the 1850s,” says Scholfield. “We have been running sheep on the property ever since. Today we run a mix of merino sheep and meat sheep. The farm is located in the western district near Hamilton and Dunkeld in the Grampians region.”

Eight years ago, Scholfield and Boedo decided that instead of simply selling the wool to manufacturers, they would make their own line of clothes from it, creating a label based on single-origin yarn from the McIntyre property. 

“Raquel and I started our business out of our apartment in Melbourne in 2016,” Scholfield says. “We sold to small retail boutiques in the first year, and then started with (web retail giant) The Iconic in 2018. Throughout COVID we really grew online and since then we have opened a shop in the Melbourne CBD and now the Paddington boutique.

“Raquel and I do all the design and we manufacture in a number of contract factories, two in Victoria, two in Vietnam and one in China. Each factory specialises in certain products. All our products are made from 100% merino wool. We specialise in superfine lightweight items that are ideal year round in Australia.”

The range is particularly noted for its bright colours and stylish designs.

“I would call our style smart casual — perfect for everyday and the office,” Scholfield says.

He notes the brand has a long way to go in its development, with the couple holding ambitions to take it internationally in the future. But locally, Paddington suits McIntyre’s boutique heritage and unique story.

“When we moved up from Melbourne to open this store, Paddington seemed like the ideal fit because it has a great mix of Australian brands that we wanted to align ourselves with,” he says. “Now we are all set up, we love the area too. It’s a great neighbourhood to walk, and we really enjoy meeting locals in store and the mix of international tourists who come through the door.”

McIntyre Merino

208 Oxford St

mcintyremerino.com