Documentary in the works about forgotten Whanganui clothing brand established by Norwegian sailmaker

Nikolai Solakof (left) with Whanganui Regional Museum collections and curatorial lead Trish Nugent-Lyne and former Oscar Eide general manager John Matheson. Photo / Mike Tweed

The man rebooting a forgotten Whanganui fashion label is hunting for people who played a part in its history.

Nikolai Solakof, a former builder from Wānaka, is making regular visits to the city as he prepares a documentary on Oscar Eide.

Solakof’s fashion journey began in 2022 after he bought an old Oscar Eide jacket from a vintage reseller in Queenstown.

The brand trademark was secured about a year later and, “with my entire life savings”, he made a run of 46 jackets.

Now he is keen to hear from people who worked in the brand’s factories, from as far back as possible.

“I’ve talked to James Boyd, who worked there until the end of the 1970s, putting domes on the jackets using a big machine with a foot press.

“He was doing it for 25 years. It was quite an important job.

“They employed around 50 people in the 1990s and probably even more before that.”

He began visiting Whanganui after finding “no trace whatsoever” about Oscar Eide online.

“I started going slightly crazy, and it got to the point where I just went there to ask around on the street.

“It turns out it wasn’t that easy, and this is my fifth time here.”

Former Oscar Eide and Norsewear general manager John Matheson made contact with Solakof after reading a July NZME article on Oscar Eide’s rebirth.

Matheson, who started with the company in the 1990s, said he was surprised when he first saw Solakof‘s jackets.

“I had a look online and just thought, ‘Bright red and yellow? This guy must be a fruit loop.’

“Back then, we did all the oilskin for farming communities, and Oscar Eide was for equestrian.

“In 1996 and 1997, there were big showjumping classics at Cooks Gardens, and they just loved these [jackets].”

A page from a 1995 Oscar Eide catalogue.

Solakof said his jackets were more popular with women than men.

“The colours are reasonably crazy, and no one else makes them in the world. You have a sample size of one.”

The brand’s namesake, a Norwegian sailmaker, came to Whanganui in 1921.

O. Eide & Co made sails, tents and awnings before branching out into oilskin clothing.

A book by Whanganui historian and sewing machine technician Hugh Ramage, In the Midst of the Boom, said the Oscar Eide shop moved from the corner of Victoria Ave and Taupō Quay to the Trinity Building, further up Victoria Ave, in 1942.

There, workers made and repaired tents for the American 3rd Division during World War II.

A new factory was built on Wilson St in 1963.

The brand became Eidex Weatherwear in the early 1970s, with Fred Westby as general manager for 21 years.

In 1993, Kenson Industries renamed it Oscar Eide Apparel.

Norsewear took over the business in 1998, but its Whanganui factory closed in December 2007 after another change in ownership, with 22 people made redundant.

Solakof said he had sold about 80 jackets since relaunching the label.

Rounding out his team are Wellington pattern maker Iona Woolgrove and “a few machinists around New Zealand”.

“There are only a few people left who can make something like this,” he said.

“The transition from tradie to fashion was a long one, and it’s still going.”

Whanganui Regional Museum collections and curatorial lead Trish Nugent-Lyne said she was helping Solakof with research.

She had put him in contact with people who could help, including Ramage.

Nikolai Solakof says the colours of his new jackets "are reasonably crazy".

“Whanganui once had 27 sewing operations, which is just amazing,” Nugent-Lyne said.

“We’ve actually got a few [Oscar Eide] items in the collection, including a jacket donated by Nikolai from the 1990s.”

Solakof said he hoped to have a pop-up shop in Whanganui next year.

He wanted to keep the brand New Zealand-made.

“With Oscar Eide and its 100 years of history, I think it’s still possible, and I’m out to prove it.”

Matheson, who left Norsewear in 2006 to work for Pacific Helmets, said he was more than happy to help Solakof with the venture, especially if he started employing people.

“I’ve got a s***load of advice,” Matheson said.

“You’ve got to start right, with systems in place, clearly defined roles and not a whole lot of supervisors.

“They are a waste of time because they don’t produce anything.”

People can contact Solakof by email at info@oscareide.nz.

Mike Tweed is a multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle. Since starting in March 2020, he has dabbled in everything from sport to music. At present, his focus is local government, primarily Whanganui District Council.