Eva Rose NZ is a new Kiwi fashion brand, creating beautiful linen garments for women with quality natural fabrics.
The designs are versatile; there are breastfeeding-friendly options available, making them perfect for pre, during or post-pregnancy.
Founder Katie Williams was inspired to create the brand after her sisters' disappointment in the range of breastfeeding clothing available to new mothers.
Katie explains, “Two of my sisters had babies and felt the breastfeeding clothing available was limited. My sister hated tight, stretchy clothing and wanted something more stylish, something that she would be proud to wear to a wedding.”
The desire for clothing that her sisters wanted to wear, rather than something they felt they had to wear, led to the creation of Eva Rose NZ.
“I wasn’t pregnant myself at the time, but saw a gap in the market,” says Katie.
“There aren’t many breastfeeding or maternity clothes that are made in New Zealand. We are proud that our entire range is made in New Zealand.”
“Our customer base are mainly people seeking breastfeeding options, but there’s also about 30% who want non-breastfeeding garments,” says Katie.
“They love the premium quality, 100% linen, the style and that it’s New Zealand made.”
Lockdown launch
Eva Rose NZ launched during New Zealand’s COVID-19 lockdown in 2020, and was an instant hit.
“We had started working on Eva Rose NZ in late 2019, then launched the brand during the nationwide lockdown in March/April,” says Katie.
“The last 12 months have gone really well. People are spending more time online, so we managed to build a following online through our website and social media. We also have a limited stock range in Hamilton, if someone wants to try something on.”
The wave of support behind local New Zealand brands in 2020 also helped launch Eva Rose NZ.
“There is a lot of interest in New Zealand Made products. It is also faster to receive goods if you purchase them locally,” says Katie.
Loving linen
Using a natural fabric like linen helps Eva Rose NZ lower their environmental footprint as natural fabrics are biodegradable and tend to use less energy to develop.
“It’s premium quality, 100% linen and the beauty of linen is that it gets softer the more you wash it,” says Katie.
“Not only is the fabric of high quality, but so is the quality of the final garment. Our sewer is extremely talented!”
The quality of their clothing hasn’t gone unnoticed by their customers.
“What I love about Eva Rose NZ is the feedback we get. People can’t wait to buy something else. We’ve had plenty of repeat purchases. People receive it and love it,” says Katie.
Made to order in NZ
Eva Rose NZ garments are made to order, by a small team in Waikato, New Zealand.
“We receive an order, which we then send to our sewer in Raglan, who makes it up within 5-10 days,” says Katie.
“Being New Zealand Made is important to our business, because it makes it more sustainable. The quality control is great, we’ve never had an item sent back, we’ve never had a complaint about the quality.”
“Making to order also means there’s less wastage, and we don’t end up making stuff that people don’t want,” says Katie.
“Our offcuts get turned into small items, like linen button earrings and pin cushions.”
Shortly after launching in 2020, Eva Rose NZ signed up for a licence to use the “New Zealand Made” Kiwi trademark.
“We joined Buy New Zealand Made to promote to our followers online that we are New Zealand Made. The Kiwi trademark is a reputable brand that we can add to our brand,” says Katie.
“We’ve had great feedback, some really positive comments from our followers who didn’t even realise our garments were made in New Zealand.”
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Shop Eva Rose NZ online
The “New Zealand Made” Kiwi trademark is available for Kiwi trademark licence holders to download online. Licence holders can use the Kiwi trademark on social media in conjunction with licensed products.
