Stories
Wendy Nelson & Chlorofile
1960-
Wendy Nelson is an established fashion designer and retailer based in Auckland with a passion for fashion that has spanned over 50 years. Known for creating contemporary, unique pieces, her decades-long career and entrepreneurship mark her legacy in the fashion industry in New Zealand.
An early interest in fashion was followed by study at the New Zealand College of Fashion Design in the mid-1970s. Housed in the La Gonda Building on Karangahape Road, their programme was structured to allow students to work alongside classes, and Wendy found part-time work at Snow Rainger Textiles and Love Story Fashions. Her next job was designing at MacJays, which included extensive international travel. By 1985 Wendy had decided it was time to launch her own brand and opened a boutique on the corner of Vermont Street and Ponsonby Road. Inspired by a store in Paris that Wendy frequented when travelling, she named it Chlorofile. She was only 25 years old and one of the early designers to establish themselves on the strip.
The Chlorofile crew circa 1987, Wendy Nelson far right.
Setting up her first Chlorofile store came with challenges, but some worked to Wendy’s advantage. Before becoming a fashion space the premises had been a butchery and had a large marble slab in the window. This was cleverly repurposed to become a unique front counter. The final look was one of cool sophisticated minimalism, with the unusual centrepiece of a mosaic fountain. It quickly became a destination store for fashionable locals and clients from further afield and inspired Wendy to open further stores in Newmarket and Takapuna.
Image 1: Interior of the Ponsonby boutique, 1980s. Image 2: Mannequins in the window of the Ponsonby store.
Wendy recalls, “We had some great times at the store. It was the eighties, and we were young, full of energy and passionate about fashion and the lifestyle that we created”. Recognising that creating garments takes teamwork and that it should be fun and not just about hard work was translated onto their iconic label which read, ’This garment made up of 25% artistic creativity, 25% hard work, and 50% good honest fun’.
Woven label featuring Chlorofile's motto, present on a garment in our collection.
The store and Wendy’s designs caught the attention of the media and fashion publications, garnering a wider audience. The label was popular with celebrities of the time and a regular choice of attire for the nightclub scene.
Newspaper advertisement for Chlorofile boutique, 1980s.
Fashion Shows in nightclubs like Don’t tell Mama were also a feature of this era and Chlorofile was part of that scene too. There were also regular collaborations with local hair and beauty salons supporting their marketing photoshoots. Wendy fondly remembers one particular photoshoot for her own label when they travelled to Las Vegas and got some sensational imagery.
One of the images captured in Las Vegas.
In just six years Wendy had stamped her mark on the local fashion landscape. In 1991, she sold Chlorofile to focus on family life and raising her son, Dillon. The new owners of the label took it down a different pathway, and it became available around the country through the Farmers' stores.
The itch to create and design was strong and when Dillon went to preschool, Wendy returned to the industry. She took on the role of designer for Cassa, a clothing company owned by Tim Hardley, that had several labels. Leaving after five years she took on various other roles in design and sales, including a five-year stint in real estate, sales at Cooper Watkinson Textiles, and managing the design room for Trelise Cooper.
A move from Auckland City to the Matapouri coast gave rise to a new enterprise, Eclectic Culture Co at the Tutukaka Marina. Eclectic captured the essence of the store, with vintage and new fashions mixed in with speciality food, art, homewares, and even practical items for the local community, like fishing rods. The passing of her beloved father, brought Wendy back to Auckland in the mid-2010’s where she opened a store, Union, in Three Lamps, Ponsonby. Alongside an eclectic mix of stock, the store was the launch pad for Wendy Nelson Home. The brand expanded Wendy’s love of fashion and design into luxurious homeware and art. Although bricks and mortar retail only lasted a few years the label is still available online.
Campaign image and logo for Nelson's label Union.
Wendy’s passion for curating collections of complementary brands and labels remains and in 2023 she launched Central Co-lab as a pop-up store in Ponsonby Central. The store was a return to her eclectic style of presentation, stocking her ceramics alongside her new range ‘Couture Kitchen’, a collection of cushions, tea towels and aprons. She also stocked local fashion labels like Chaplin (Paul Chaplin), Vint (Lynda Southon) and a curated mix of shoes, bags, jewellery, and beauty products. Open for more than a year, the store showed that her style and ability to curate still held a wide appeal.
Wendy Nelson shows off a garment, 2013.
Now, in later life, retirement is not a concept Wendy is considering. “There are still gorgeous things I want to create, and I want to bring those to people who want such beautiful things in their lives”
While Chlorofile assured Wendy Nelson’s place in New Zealand fashion history, her desire to explore all aspects of her creativity and share that with others remains a driving passion.
Text by Andrew Mark Sains.
Published May 2025.
