Both former employees of Mooneys Furriers, Mr Wilson and Ms Kirk took over the long-established business in 1998. It was originally established in the city in the 1920s.
For many years, the company made fur coats and jackets, but it was a very different trade now, and the focus was mainly on furnishings, including throws, cushions and seats, along with trims for clothing and hats. They also repair and remodel vintage coats.
"You have to produce what people want, not just cling to old ideas," Mr Wilson explained.
When Ms Kirk started work at Mooneys, more than 30 years ago, possum fur was not utilised.
Now it was all they worked with, along with a little white rabbit fur imported from China, to use for academic trim.
The Australian brush-tailed possum was introduced into New Zealand in 1837 to establish a fur trade. Estimates of possum numbers in the early 2000s ranged from 50 to 70 million.
Not only did possums cause damage to trees, but they were also vectors of bovine tuberculosis, which was a major threat to the agricultural industry.
Fur, if it came from an animal that was endangered, should not be used, but utilising the likes of possums, which were pests, helped the environment and helped save the forest and bird life, Mr Wilson said.
The combination of possum fur and merino wool had become a "huge" industry and the price of possum skins had soared over the past two or three years, mainly due to demand for possum fibre. They paid anywhere up to $50 a skin which were processed at Basically Bush in Woodville.
Despite all the work being done to eradicate the pests, Mr Wilson said there were still more possums than sheep in New Zealand and they would "last us out".
A second-generation furrier, Mr Wilson was originally from Manchester in the UK, moving to New Zealand with his wife 25 years ago.
He managed the workroom at Mooneys, prior to buying the business with Ms Kirk, who had been sales manager at the company.
Mr Wilson enjoyed the creative side of the industry, taking a raw material and turning it into "something quite beautiful".
They have been involved in film work, including helping create a spectacular white fur cape worn by actress Tilda Swinton in her role of Jadis, the White Witch, in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.
They worked with fashion designers and interior designers and never knew who they were going to be approached by, they said.
Furriery was a small trade and although there was a lot of "cottage industry knocking out things in the back yard", there were few "real" furriers, Mr Wilson said.
Clients, both in New Zealand and overseas, came up with ideas and it was the furriers' job to turn them into reality. It was very intricate and painstaking work.
Often, old fur coats had a lot of sentimental value and, as well as being able to restyle them, the pair could make them into the likes of throws if the owner did not intend wearing them. Ms Kirk had just completed stripping down a mink coat to turn it into a throw.
The business partners' skills complemented each other - Mr Wilson did all the cutting while Ms Kirk did all the finishing.
Although they acknowledged there had been some lean times over the years, interest had picked up in latter times. They recently moved from Parry St to premises in Willis St.
