Natalia Pedorina is originally from Russia. However, she has spent most of her life in the southern hemisphere after moving to Sydney, Australia, at fourteen before ending up in Auckland, New Zealand, long term.
Ever since she was a little girl, she has always had a passion for fashion. “While other kids were wishing for puppies and kittens, I was praying for new dresses,” she said.
However, the idea of working in fashion only came to her once the opportunity presented itself in 2017 after seeing an ad on Trade Me boasting about being your own boss. Because of this, Pedorina purchased The Attic, which ended up being the best decision she ever made in her career.
The Attic sells pre-loved fashion primarily to the Auckland community, making it easy for people to sell or donate their clothes to help reduce the build-up of textile waste.
Pedorina carefully selects unique and high-quality items along with brands people know and love. Some of her favourite items she has received include a vintage Dior dress, a Burberry trench coat and quirky items with no tags.
“Our team work hard to hand pick through a selection of clothes to deliver a high standard of secondhand designer and vintage clothing. We love to be able to bring people classic fashion simply not found on the high street,” she explained.
No one day is ever the same for Pedorina. Some days are spent predominantly serving customers on the shop floor, to accepting and pricing clothes, creating digital content or chatting with the locals, no matter what it is - she loves it all.
When it comes to shopping at The Attic, the team takes their time to help each customer find what they may be looking for while simultaneously suggesting something unique to try on, as opposed to one's usual style and colour. This approach encourages people to have fun and branch out from their usual style.
“There is nothing like a good treasure hunt for those special pieces you have always dreamt of or sudden uniqueness which jumps out at you, and you just have to have it.”
Pedorina hopes to one day expand beyond the store in order to offer styling and makeover packages.
