Snowflakes are swirling through the Waihaorunga Valley, clouding Fiona Gardner's vision as she leaves her Jeep and heads toward a flock of merino sheep on one of the hilly ridges on her 1,500-acre New Zealand farm. But the snow does not obscure the animals; rather, they stand out starkly against the landscape. The sheep, you see, are not white but black.

Forget mink and sable. The ultra-fine wool from so-called "coloured" sheep is the newest luxury fabric - and much more rare. Wool from Gardner's flock can be found in a line of clothing called Pecora Nera in stores from Milan to London to Madison Avenue and Aspen, Colorado. Yet, for centuries, black sheep were shunned for polluting the pure white coats of their brethren. It wasn't until Gardner took up their cause in the early 1980s that things began to change. Indeed, in many ways she has single-handedly altered their place in the wool industry - and hence in consumers' wardrobes.