DIVINE INTERVENTION
Queenstown fashion designer and boutique owner Natalie Newlands talks to Phoebe Watt about style, success and stepping up to the plate
Retail maven Natalie Newlands
Natalie Newlands was based in Auckland and working as a pattern maker at womenswear label Moochi when her close friend Emma Taylor — then the owner of Queenstown fashion boutique Angel Divine and battling cancer — called her with a proposition. “She asked if I’d be interested in purchasing Angel,” says Natalie, a 34-year-old mother of one. Having grown up on a farm south of Oamaru, Natalie says her heart has always been in the South Island, “so it felt like the right decision, especially knowing everything Emma was facing with her health”.
In 2012, Natalie made the move to Queenstown, where she now lives with her husband, Myles, and eighteen-month-old son, Knox. She immediately took the reins at Angel Divine; Emma sadly passed away shortly after. It was challenging grieving for her friend while learning how to run a business, but memories of Emma were all the motivation Natalie needed to hit the ground running. “She was an incredible person and loved by all, so it was — and still is — a privilege to carry on her legacy.”
And what a legacy it is. Opened in 1999, Emma had turned Angel Divine into a local institution. But it’s testament to Natalie’s fashion industry training and business instincts that it remains a must-visit for stylish out-of-towners and a favourite haunt of Queenstown regulars who have been known to spend hours in the chic industrial space.
It’s not hard to see why. Angel Divine is a one-stop shop for beautiful candles, unique jewellery and, of course, the best of New Zealand fashion. “I do oer a handful of Australian labels because I have quite a strong Australian customer base,” says Natalie, “but there’s otherwise such diversity within the local scene that I don’t feel the need to go further aeld.”
Ultimately, quality fabrics and expert craftsmanship are her customers’ key requirements, and everything in the store reects that. “That and the climate,” says Natalie, referring to Angel Divine’s extensive selection of practical yet fashion-forward footwear (sneakerheads, take note) and easy-to-layer pieces. “Winter down here is great, because we can really rug up,” she says.
Of course, as Natalie quickly learned, “there’s so much more to retail than pretty clothes”. But having come through Otago Polytechnic’s fashion design degree and cut her teeth working as a design assistant for NOM*d founder Margi Robertson, she’s had no shortage of mentors to call on for guidance. “I’m grateful to have had some amazing teachers in business and life,” she says, pointing out that her previous experience also armed her with the analytical and critical skills “to design and develop the business in a holistic and lateral manner”.
Not that her practical skills have gone to waste, either. In 2013, shortly after purchasing Angel Divine, Natalie realised that she was missing some key pieces in store. So, like any multitalented woman would do, she launched her own brand, New Lands, to ll in the gaps.
“I love to play with proportions,” says Natalie of the brand’s aesthetic. “New Lands has done exceptionally well from day one. In the early days, I’d wear my designs in store and customers would literally be trying to purchase them o my back! The brand grew from there.”
To keep up with demand, a typical week sees Natalie working on designs for her upcoming collections and planning production with the factory. As Angel Divine’s company director, her schedule is also jam-packed with buying appointments, forecasting, accounts, team training, merchandising and spending time on the shop oor with store manager Harriet Wisker to ensure things are ticking over there. This aspect of her job is often the one that she nds the most rewarding.
“I love building connections with my customers,” explains Natalie, adding that consumer psychology is particularly interesting to her. “How people shop and how it makes them feel… I nd it fascinating.”
Remaining hands-on with regards to the day-to-day running of the store also keeps Natalie up to date with what her customers like. She has their preferences in mind when attending fashion weeks and going on buying trips, and an uncanny ability to tell in advance what items are going to y out the door.
“There are wild cards that surprise us,” she says. “But having a crystal ball would be too easy.”
With a knack for discovering new labels that hit the mark with her customers, you’d be forgiven for thinking Natalie does have some fortune-telling abilities. “I know how to pick them,” she says, but then, the calibre of our young designers doesn’t hurt her odds. “New Zealanders are a clever bunch,” she agrees. “And raw talent especially needs to be celebrated. Smaller brands can be really refreshing and oer amazing work and new perspectives.”
Attending iD Dunedin Fashion Week every year allows Natalie to scope out emerging designers, and is also an opportunity for her to showcase her own work. “It’s such a big event for the South Island and great to be a part of,” she says, explaining that seeing New Lands on the runway in March left her inspired to start working on her autumn/ winter 2017 collection.
Having just nished wholesaling her spring/summer range — a new and exciting venture for the businesswoman whose brand was until now stocked exclusively at Angel Divine — a busy 12 months lies ahead. “There’s always plenty going on,” she conrms. “But I’m a big believer in attitude — how we respond to high-pressure situations says so much about who we are.”
Considering the way Natalie has responded to tough situations in the past, there’s no doubt she’ll handle future challenges with grace and dignity. And whatever the next year holds, one thing is for sure: she has a guardian angel by her side.
“In the early days, I’d wear my designs in store and customers would literally
be trying to purchase them
off my back”