I've noticed something rather interesting about women as we get older. We become far more discerning.

We start reading food labels, paying attention to ingredients and investing in our health in ways we never did in our twenties. We think carefully about what we eat, the supplements we take, how we exercise and whether we're getting enough sleep. Somewhere along the way we realise that feeling well doesn't happen by accident. It comes from making hundreds of small, thoughtful decisions every day.

Perimenopause has a habit of accelerating that awareness. It certainly has for me.

What surprises me is that, while we're becoming increasingly conscious of what we put into our bodies, we rarely apply the same thinking to what we put on them. That feels like a conversation worth having.

I've spent my life in two industries that couldn't appear more different. The first was fashion. The second is agriculture.

People often smile when I explain that I went from walking international runways to raising Merino sheep in regional New South Wales. On paper, it seems an unlikely transition. To me, though, it feels perfectly logical because both worlds have always revolved around one thing: quality.

Fashion taught me to appreciate craftsmanship. Agriculture taught me to appreciate the raw material that makes craftsmanship possible. Somewhere between those two worlds I realised we'd become wonderfully curious about where our food comes from, yet remarkably indifferent about where our clothes come from. Given they sit against our skin every single day, that seems a little odd.

Perimenopause also changes your relationship with clothing. You become less interested in fashion for fashion's sake and far more interested in how something makes you feel. Fabrics that never bothered you suddenly feel scratchy. You find yourself too warm one moment and reaching for another layer the next. Clothes that once made you feel confident somehow don't anymore, not because you've changed, but because your priorities have.

Comfort stops being a luxury. It becomes essential.

I sometimes think fashion has underestimated women at this stage of life. For years we've been encouraged to believe the answer is buying more. Another trend. Another season. Another wardrobe refresh.

From where I stand, I think many women are quietly moving in the opposite direction. We're becoming more selective. We want fewer pieces, but we want them to be exceptional. We want clothes that fit the lives we actually lead rather than the lives we're told we should aspire to. We want quality, comfort and longevity. We want colours that work together effortlessly and silhouettes that make us feel comfortable in our own skin.

That philosophy shaped every decision I made when creating my knitwear collection. Not because I wanted to design luxury for luxury's sake, rather I wanted to create clothing women genuinely looked forward to wearing.

What if Your Wardrobe Was Part of Your Wellness Routine?

People often assume I champion Merino because I grow wool. The truth is, I champion it because I've spent enough time with the fibre to understand just how remarkable it is. Merino regulates temperature naturally, breathes, manages moisture beautifully and performs across an extraordinary range of conditions. Watching sheep thrive through freezing winters and scorching summers gives you enormous respect for what nature has already perfected.

Working with Eir Women has reminded me that wellbeing is cumulative. It reflects the choices we make every day: the food we eat, the supplements we take, the time we spend outdoors, the people we surround ourselves with and, yes, the clothes we pull over our heads each morning.

For decades we've accepted synthetic fibres as the norm without really stopping to ask what they're made from or what happens to them when they leave our wardrobes. Most are derived from petrochemicals, shed microplastics throughout their lifetime and remain in our environment for years to come. Merino wool offers another way. It's a completely natural, renewable and biodegradable fibre that has been quietly doing its job for thousands of years.

At the very stage of life when we become more conscious of what we eat, drink and put on our skin, it seems only natural to extend that same curiosity to the fibres we choose to wear. Every better choice adds up.

For me, that's what luxury has come to mean. Not excess or endless consumption; choosing fewer things, choosing them well and surrounding ourselves with products that work with nature rather than against it.

Wellbeing begins long before we leave the house each morning. We choose the food we eat, the supplements we take and the products we trust. We also choose the fibre that sits against our skin all day. I choose natural fibres because they support my body, respect the environment and remind me that quality will always outlast quantity.

Warmest in wool,
Ness x

Author Bio

Vanessa Bell is the founder of Vanessa Bell, a luxury knitwear brand crafted from Australian Merino wool and produced in Italy. She is also an RWS-certified Merino wool grower and Woolmark Licensee.