Peter Radford

Founder, ESCORIAL

Escorial is a tremendously successful Canterbury-based company that exports luxury garments to the top fashion houses of Europe and the United States. Peter Radford founded the Escorial Company from his Hawarden home in 1985, following an idea he hit on in the mid 1960's when he realised that New Zealand was able to offer a unique product from the rare escorial wool.

It was in 1990 that Escorial started working on the fibre that was to become the basis of the company's first range of knitwear. In 1994 Peter reaslied that the Escorial product had to be taken abroad to be truly appreciated and in 1997 Escorial that brand was first registered. By 1999 the company had $40 million of retail trade dealing in the international business of luxury clothing and high fashion.

Peter has five staff working for him in New Zealand as well as offices in London and Tokyo and a new one about to open in New York.

On top of all of this, Peter still oversees his highly successful farm in North Canterbury.