deNada Clothing
INNOVATIVE FASHION RETAIL
Nada Piatek can proudly say she's never drawn a wage in her life.
“I come from a family of self-employed people and have always been entrepreneurial. I owned three physiotherapy clinics in London and always knew that I’d work for myself when I returned to New Zealand,” says the 36 year old.
She did so in 2004, after the usual Kiwi two-year OE morphed into eight successful years in the English Capital.
“Although I loved being a physio, coming back to Wellington was a chance for me to decide what I wanted to do next. I was looking for a way to combine my business skills with my creativity.”
So she enrolled for Massey University’s fashion design course, but dropped out after a year – aware that limited training was never going to make her a tailor, but knowing that with good technical people around her that she was ready to take the plunge into a fashion career.
“The day I left Massey, deNada was born – and the day after that, I joined Creative HQ”
Nada initially started the company with Jo Learmonth from Stewart Island, but bought out her friend in 2007. She opened her flagship Featherston Street store in 2006.
From its humble beginnings, deNada has grown in leaps and bounds – Nada now designs around 4,500 garments a year, the business supports seven staff and growth has increased around 14-18% even during the recession.
And in November 2009, Nada opened her second store in Petone.
“It took a number of years to get there, but we now have a profitable and sustainable business. We’re also predominantly self-funded, which we have been all the way through.”
Nada says the secret to her success is the company’s point of difference: “We produce clothes that look good on a number of different shapes and sizes by providing a cut and fit that flatters them and makes them look good no matter what shape or size”.
The deNada label is also known for its generous use of colour.
“In comparison to other stores we do little black. Colour definitely wins every time!”
Nada says Creative HQ was an amazing experience and provided the step onto the business ladder she was looking for.
“Creative HQ plugged us into a whole community of people who could help us, including advisers and mentors. We made connections that are still pivotal in our business today.”
She’s also justifiably proud that deNada graduated in 2007 as New Zealand's first and only apparel business to reach the New Zealand Trade and Enterprise high growth target.
But as with all good businesses, Nada isn’t content to let the grass grow under her. The fledgling Petone store is now “going great guns” and she’s got her eye on taking the concept nationwide in five to seven years.
