On The Up: NES Boutique in Hamilton celebrates 25 years in business

From left to right: The evolution of NES in Hamilton, with new owner Kate Harris, former owner Vanessa Nieper, and model Melanie.

NZME’s On The Up is a national campaign showcasing amazing stories of inspiration, success, courage and possibilities. Today, Malisha Kumar talks to the owners and the founder of New Zealand-made fashion label NES, that is still going strong after 25 years in business.

It was the year 2000, on an overcast morning in May, when Vanessa Herbert (nee Nieper) launched her first fashion label and clothing store in Hamilton.

Now, 25 years, a rebrand and a change of hands later, NES is still going strong and preparing for a new chapter.

Herbert said she always had a passion for fashion, sewing her own clothes and sketching designs while working as a travel agent at Flight Centre in Auckland, but she didn’t think that she could turn it into a career.

It wasn’t until Marcia, the mother of a close friend of hers, was diagnosed with cancer.

“I showed her a design of mine and Marcia said to me ‘Why are you selling travel? You should be making clothes‘,” Herbert said.

Looking back she vividly remembers especially two designs: a sleeveless fleece vest with a high neck and a zip and a matching fleece skirt, and denim jeans.

After Marcia passed away, Herbert said she had a good thought about her words and decided to take the plunge.

“I’ve only got one life, and Marcia said I should, so I’m going to give it a try.”

She sold her car to get money to start up her business and attended a pattern-making course in Hamilton.

Then, her label and store Dolly Bird, now known as NES Boutique, launched in Hamilton’s Ward St.

Robyn Stinson (left) and Kate Harris are working on a top-secret, new in-house label together for NES's 25th birthday. Photo / Malisha Kumar

The name Dolly Bird is a British slang word for a “fashionable and attractive young girl”, and when Herbert first started designing, she was 29, so she could identify.

Herbert said her designs were inspired by nature - and “people-watching”.

“[I was] trying to replicate the colours and textures into clothing.”

The first item sold in the shop was a pair of “slinky jeans” - popular skin-tight jeans with a flare from the knee.

Herbert worked hard to get her label off the ground - sewing clothes at night and working in the shop during the day.

She said this hard work and organisation were key to her never giving up.

However, she said the true secret behind the label still going strong after such a long time was “pure passion”.

“I lived and breathed fashion. Wherever I went, I took note of what people were wearing ... I always had a notepad on me for sketching at all times.”

She changed the name of the label and boutique to NES after over 10 years in business to be more inclusive of other styles.

Herbert said it had always been her goal to clock up 20 years in the industry before retiring, and in 2022, after two more years than anticipated, she felt the time was right to hand over the reins.

Herbert sold the business to Hamiltonian Kate Harris, 39, and said she was “absolutely proud” to see her boutique was still going strong after 25 years.

Harris said she was “overwhelmed by the legacy of NES”.

“It’s taken blood, sweat, and tears.”

A NES dress which is part of their 25th birthday collection.

Harris, much like Herbert, has a longstanding passion for fashion.

She remembers being found in her grandmother’s closet as a kid, trying on big fur coats and hats.

Harris said she had been a fashion designer for 20 years, following in the footsteps of her mother and grandmother who had often made her clothes.

“There is always a childhood memory of sewing machines on the dining room table, and choosing our fabric for our winter pyjamas.”

She said she also loved how “an outfit can transform who you are”.

Harris described herself as an introvert, but clothing allowed her to be an extrovert and “express myself through clothes”.

In celebration of turning 25, Harris welcomed Waikato designer Robyn Stinson to NES to “continue and protect the legacy” of the business.

Stinson, 42, debuted at NZ Fashion Week in 2006 before opening a clothing store in Cambridge.

She just returned to the fashion industry after doing several other designing stints, and running Black Shepherd Apiaries with her husband, Ben.

Harris said she had big plans for the future of NES, but was tight-lipped on specifics - “Watch this space.”

“I’m excited for a ‘Kate and Robyn spin’ on NES and a new in-house label.”

Their ultimate goal was to create “hardworking wardrobe pieces that are simple, have a statement, and everlasting”.

NES is now located in Barton St.

Malisha Kumar is a multimedia journalist based in Hamilton. She joined the Waikato Herald in 2023 after working for Radio 1XX in Whakatāne.