Tracking Nom*D from its origins is a bit like tracing the steps of an idiosyncratic wild child as he beats a path to maturity.
The beginnings are modest. But soon those who are close notice traits that set the child apart. They nurture and encourage. Others do not understand and do not wish to; they choose to dismiss and ignore.
In time, the nonconformist attitude develops into a creative cleverness that in New Zealand becomes celebrated. The big doors swing wide for him and he strides through. The time is right to disarm at international level.
And so to today, where Nom*D's magic carries its potency from season to season. The label's designer and founder Margarita Robertson, sees to that.
Her modesty tends to hide the fact she is one of the most creatively exciting and respected fashion designers in the country. She is also a grand dame of fashion retail, her experience in this field an important influence in her design approach. Her first boutique was opened in partnership with her husband, Chris, in 1975.
The couple, who enjoy an enduring relationship, now operate two Plume fashion outlets, in Dunedin and Christchurch, along with the Nom*D store established in Melbourne in 2006.
She is the first to admit that being mad about clothes does not necessarily mean one goes out and opens a fashion store.
But this was, in fact, a prime motivation behind establishing the offbeat little outlet Hang-Ups in upper Moray Pl in the small, vagabond building where the specialist coffee outlet Mazagran now operates.
With its appealing contemporary labels, success was inevitable. This in turn prompted two relocations, the first to the Exchange and the second to the newly-completed Golden Centre in the late '70s.
The latter shift coincided with the opening of the Robertsons' second store, Plume, further north along George St, into which Hang-Ups was integrated three years later.
Plume has consistently stocked clothes with a distinctive style that swings from the utilitarian to the beautiful, never quite mainstream and always cool.
Major drawcards are the European designer brands Robertson imports as a result of regular trips to Paris, Milan and London.
It was into this exciting fashion environment that Nom*D made its debut.
"Auckland knitwear designer Caroline Sills was unknowingly the catalyst for Nom*D's beginnings,'' Robertson says.
"In those days, we stocked her label because she was still a boutique brand and quite exclusive. When she decided to go a little more mainstream to increase production, we decided to fill the gap with a small boutique brand of our own.
It's an approach that I would like to think we still take to our knitwear design 21 years on, in that although our appeal is quite global, we are discerning in choosing our stockists, not only in New Zealand and Australia but also worldwide.''
That first Nom*D range, launched in 1986, may well have been small in quantity, but it was big on originality.
"Rather than using traditional knitting methods, we treated knitwear as a woven garment, using cut-and-sew techniques,'' Robertson says. "This way we were able to achieve one-size-fits-all patterns and often only offered the garments in black.''
A spin-off from this free-sizing was the immediate broad appeal the garments enjoyed, among young and old alike. Women caught on quickly to the Nom*D spirit.
To this day, Robertson is grateful to the manufacturers who not only wanted to work with her but had the skills and enthusiasm to interpret her ideas.
"I remember we sketched up our ideas and took them along. Apart from our experience with hand-knitting and home knitting machines, we had no other ideas about knitwear technicalities at that stage.
"However,'' she adds, "there can be advantages to being a little 'green'. A lot of creativity is gleaned from mistakes or not playing by the rules.''
For the first two years, the Robertsons, whose intent it was to always use local manufacturers, worked with a Dunedin company. However, its demands and conditions led them to look to businesses outside the city.
Designs have inevitably changed over the years and, as well as returning to traditional knitting techniques, the garments are now fully fashioned (knitted to size), with three sizes offered.
"We enjoyed the cut-and-sew techniques but found them too easy to replicate and decided to go back to traditional methods,'' Robertson says.
This meant the garments were now not only edgy and imaginative, but also showed off the traditional hallmarks of well-made knitwear.
By now it was the '90s, a frenetic decade which saw fashion design in New Zealand rise to international prominence. A catalyst for this were the Wool Board of New Zealand's "Pret'' shows for the media, which featured garments chosen for their directional, cutting-edge qualities and international design-worthiness, and which could be used in publications to show trends. Nom*D was there.
And when the Wool Board broke away from the International Wool Secretariat and became Wools of New Zealand, replacing the international Woolmark symbol of excellence with the Fernmark, Nom*D was among the quality labels chosen to represent the new logo.
Next came the Corbans and Wella Collections televised shows of the '90s featuring the best in New Zealand design, which meant further national and international attention for Nom*D.
At about this time, Robertson was on a judging panel for Christchurch design students with Angela Quaintrell, head women's-wear buyer for Liberty of London. This serendipitous meeting resulted in Nom*D gaining a presence in that high-profile store - and the UK.
Quaintrell's New Zealand visit was also the springboard for Nom*D, World, Karen Walker and Zambesi to show for the first time at London Fashion Week in 1999. The occasion was made more special in that Liz Findlay, of Zambesi, is Robertson's older sister.
The success of the "big four'' was a watershed for New Zealand fashion. It was also a significant time for Nom*D in other ways.
"At that time, we wanted to expand the label into wovens. Until then, we'd always shown our knitwear teamed with Zambesi garments. But for the London show, Nom*D had to stand alone so we reworked ladies' bowling skirts which fitted in well with the utilitarian feel we wanted to accomplish to maintain our own niche".
Like the knitwear, this first modest foray into wovens marked the opening of another important chapter for Nom*D as it moved into the 21st century and added outlets in the UK, Europe, the United States and Japan.
Now an intriguing balance of knits, wovens and signature vintage with a prevailing androgynous mood that mixes boyishness and sensual femininity, each collection is regarded more favourably than the last by Robertson.
But if there's a standout for her, it was "Red'', in the winter of 2003.
"It was our first collection that took a theme. Referencing Russian 1917 posters and graphics, which were redesigned by our son, Sam, it attracted so much media attention. It was 'our moment'.''
Sam has been an integral part of Nom*D since 2001. That each collection remains as modern as tomorrow, is a tribute to Robertson's design nous.
But success is not without its price, and for Robertson the main challenges are in coming up with a new idea for consecutive collections of her urban streetwear every six months and ensuring production of every garment is as perfect as it can be.
"Another is the difficulty in encouraging our staff to stay in Dunedin when the big world beckons. I never discourage them but they become our family and its tough when they leave.''
And the rewards?
"Working with great teams of people whether in the design room, on catwalk shows, with PR companies and sales agencies, with stylists and photographers.
The importance is that they all love Nom*D and understand the philosophies. Collectively, we get so much joy when the ranges are well-received. It's great to see.''
The biggest buzz for Robertson is seeing people wearing the clothes.
"I stopped a girl in Paris a couple of weeks ago who was wearing our waistcoat dress and asked her where she had got it. She had bought it from a store we supply in New York. She looked amazing in it and loves the label... now that's the fun bit!''
