Six years on from Mina's inception in late 2017, the local brand has announced its store’s closure, with final day of trade, both online and in-store, being Sunday 24th March.
"With great sadness, mum and I have decided to take an indefinite break from Mina. We are incredibly proud of what we have achieved over the last six years, and of the community we have built. We thank you all for your support of Mina – every purchase, review, like, feature, and conversation has meant the world to our small, locally-made brand."
Mina started in the downstairs room of Natalie Procter's parent's house. Off the back of a fashion trip to India after graduating with a Fashion Degree from Massey in Wellington, Procter set out to create a brand which championed local industry, and stood for compassion, transparency, and integrity. Procter was fortunate to have the support of her parents, particularly her mum Michelle, who, during my studies, herself gained a Fashion Institute certification.
"This allowed her to support me with Mina not only as a mother helping her daughter get a business off the ground, but also as a pattern-maker. Before we knew it, mum had become our Production Manager, running and managing all of our production."
In 2018, they moved into a space on K’ Road which allowed the duo to have a beautiful showroom to use for design and dispatch, and as their HQ. The site included an apartment and shared co-working space which Procter ran to help finance Mina. Through the co-working space Procter met other incredible local creatives, including jeweller Charlotte Penman and furniture and interior designer James McNab, who have remained friends of Mina in the years since.
Community has always been at the heart of Mina’s ethos. Amid the pandemic in 2020, they opened their current brick-and-mortar store in Grey Lynn - which was designed and fitted out by James McNab. While navigating the business through the pandemic and subsequent economic uncertainty was challenging, it resulted in immense personal growth and self-belief as their community - and team - grew.
"We welcomed two new members to our mother-daughter team in 2021 to assist in production and content and marketing, with a third member joining us in early 2022 to help look after our beautiful customers in-store."
Procter said connecting with customers in person at their Mina Studio/Store was a beautiful part of this journey. "Each conversation and every piece of feedback allowed us to improve our offering, ensuring we were catering to our customer’s needs while also anticipating their wants."
Inspired by her recent trip to Greece, their current collection is their biggest and most successful to date. Featuring tried and tested brand signatures alongside covetable yet highly-wearable styles. Procter was able to test-wear many pieces from the collection on her trip and they brought her so much confidence and happiness. The mood-boosting colour palette reflected my desire for a carefree European summer after recovering from surgery.
While Mina as a business has gone from strength to strength, Procter has been experiencing health issues over the last two years. "Mum and I have worked hard to grow Mina to where it is today, and it takes 100 percent of you all the time. Right now, my health is where I need to focus my energy."
"Moving into this new chapter of life, I am incredibly proud of what the brand has achieved, and the community Mina has built. While the closure of our physical and online store, and the break from designing further collections is bittersweet, I am looking forward to giving myself space to enjoy my new home and reconnect with my hopes for the future."
A Big Thank You
"Being a small-scale fashion brand dedicated to sourcing and manufacturing locally is not easy. We have been so incredibly fortunate to connect with the most kind and inspiring customers throughout Aotearoa, New Zealand, and beyond. To you we say, thank you. Every Mina item you have purchased, every email you have opened and read, every post and story you have interacted with – they all counted towards our success over the last six years. We would not have made it here without you.
To our passionate and talented team, both past and present. Thank you for being drawn to what we do at Mina and being a part of our success. Together we built this and we can all be proud of what we accomplished together.
And, finally, a heartfelt thank you to my mum for her love, support, skill and time. I will forever treasure having undertaken this journey with you. The day-to-day with you in the studio is what I cherish the most."
