Long before she became a celebrated Wellington fashion designer, Robyn Mathieson’s mother taught her how to sew, knit, crochet, weave, spin, and dye wool. Those early lessons in craft and textiles would become the foundation of an impressive career.

Growing up in Te Anau, Robyn had plenty of outdoor activities to keep her busy, but indoors, she needed extra stimulation. Under the guidance of her mother, Thelma, a textile artist, she discovered the possibilities of cloth and yarn.

But it wasn't until Robyn had completed her BA degree in 1982, and worked in Dunedin for a couple of years, that she hatched the idea of starting a business making and selling clothes. Her destination was the Wellington Polytechnic, an institution that has produced many of New Zealand's fashion luminaries, such as Di Jennings, Kerrie Hughes, and Rebecca Taylor. She enrolled in 1985 alongside Kate Sylvester. To support herself financially, Robyn started making and selling clothes at markets, including the Egmont Street Market. By the time the second year of study rolled around, Robyn had little time spare for studying. Her time was spent producing clothes to meet demand at the markets so she decided to leave polytech to focus on her business. 

Robyn spent the next two years making and selling clothes, and she opened a store, Parameter, on Cuba Street. But she wanted to travel overseas so took a two-year break working in London and travelling in Europe and Asia.

When she returned to Wellington in the early 1990s, Robyn re-started her business, this time under her own name, Robyn Mathieson. She opened a stall alongside Zana Feuchs and Laurie Foon in David Blackmore’s original market, the Wakefield Market on the corner of Taranaki and Wakefield Streets. 

From this seed, she grew her business, moving across a variety of locations over the next years. River, on the corner of Victoria and Lombard Streets, was significant to her because she bought the building that housed her shop and its upstairs workroom. When she sold it, she moved to Featherston St. There, she commissioned designer George Rose to do the store's fitout. Rose was responsible for the look and feel of many of Wellington's coolest bars and restaurants, including Scopa. Her last move was to Willis Street, where she once again had both a store and an onsite workroom upstairs. 

The Robyn Mathieson retail store at 97 Willis Street.

At its height, the Robyn Mathieson label employed 18 people who worked in her Ponsonby and inner-city Wellington retail shops and in her workrooms.  

The Robyn Mathieson store in Ponsonby, Auckland.

A staunch advocate for keeping it local, she kept manufacturing for her retail stores and wholesale production close to home, even as her garments reached export markets in Australia. 

Over the years, her work was recognised with various accolades, including winning the Smokefree New Zealand Fashion Award in the Leisure category in 1996 and being highly commended in 1998 in the Wools of New Zealand category. In 2012, Robyn was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit, MNZM, for services to Fashion. 

She always had students come to her for industry experience and helped pave the way for these creatives to succeed in the fashion business. She offered support and mentorship to fledgling designers such as Nada from De Nada, and many like Deryn Schmidt gained experience working for her and went on to establish their own labels or to take up other roles in the fashion business.

Throughout her design career, Robyn participated in numerous local fashion shows, including the Walk On series. She also showed at Melbourne Fashion Week alongside Starfish and Trelise Cooper. 

Robyn Mathieson's 'Tectonic' dress in the 2011 'Love to Christchurch' fundraiser fashion show.

However, it was the increasing volumes of imports, particularly from China, that were undermining people's price expectations for fashion purchases. Continuing to produce in New Zealand became an uphill battle, and in 2015, Robyn decided to close her business and focus on other things. 

Garments with the Robyn Mathieson label occasionally turn up in second-hand stores, looking as good as they did when they were created, attesting to the quality, longevity, and enduring style of Robyn's work. 

Cover image: Robyn Mathieson, photographed 11 April 2014 at Wellington Fashion Week by Masanori Udaqawa.

Text by Robyn Mathieson and Doris de Pont.

Published August 2026