About Us

Why the name Nadetwa Clothing NZ Limited?

Bizarrely for us, we made up the name “Nadetwa” (Naa-DAY-Twah) as children and it stuck.  Had we known it was going to be a business name that one day we would own, we might have chosen something easier to remember and spell!

The name is a combination of Natasja, Desiree and Twan; letters from each of the three children of founders Johanna and Kees van Beers.   The name was orginally and officially used to christen an island (ie. sandbank) that we discovered in the South of France in the 1970s.  (gosh, was it really that long ago?)

How have we grown over the years?

The business was first started in 1982 after the family immigrated to New Zealand from Holland.  Johanna started working from home as an outworker making designer garments.   As news of her european training and skills grew, Johanna found she had to take on and train extra staff.

Space kept becoming a problem as the business continued to grow.  Nadetwa moved first to Wycola Ave in Hornby, then back home into a purpose built garage large enough to house 12 staff, including husband Kees and daughter Natasja.

Finally in 1999 operations were moved to our current premises at Michelle Road in Sockburn.  With enough space, and still plenty of work, Nadetwa grew to its current size of 18 employees.

A Family affair

Througout their teens, and into their twenties the whole family were always involved, albeit, not always willingly, in the manufacturing of garments.  Urgent orders meant evenings after school spent sewing, trimming, packing and delivering. (Twan is an expert unpicker!) Amazingly, we are all still fond of those memories, and in some way you could say a family that works together stays together!

Now ready to retire, Johanna and Kees have sold their enterprise to son Twan and his wife Shona.  In a bizarre twist of coincidences, Shona learnt professional dressmaking from her own mother and has been designing and sewing costumes for as long as she can remember.  So, in the way that life sometimes works out, the business can continue with a new generation.

Now if you come to visit you will still be greeted by a member of the van Beers family.  Natasja now manages the operations on a day to day basis, bedazzling her father with use of Twan's computer wizardry and amazing her mother with her quick management style. (what else would you expect from a girl that grew up in the firm?) And, on a busy week, you are still likely to meet the founders, Johanna and Kees, keeping their hand in on the workshop floor.