Our launch party

Our launch party on Wednesday is best summed up in three words: absolute beautiful chaos.

The event kicked off at 6pm at an ultra cool converted warehouse space on Taranaki St, where more than 100 guests converged for an evening of celebrating the launch of our online store and the people who - in ways big and small - made it all possible.

We’d spent the morning clearing the space and trouble-shooting the sound and visual systems, but had only an hour before showtime to set up food, drink and our merch table - a rather daunting task.

Come 5pm, it was madness.  About 10 of us - the Nisa team and loyal friends - were frantically laying out food, drink, postcards, stickers, and of course, our beautiful range of undies which were available to buy on the night. A friend who was there likened  the undertaking to moving house twice in one day with a wedding in between. We were still arranging breads and hummus (so. Much. hummus) when the first guests arrived - including my parents and our employees and their families.

The party was soon in full swing - in no small part thanks to Spy Valley, Panhead and Six Barrel Soda who supplied us with beverages for the evening. I had jotted a few notes down that afternoon and at 6.30pm, it was time to go onstage. I did the old ‘tap tap’ on the microphone, and, as is often the way, largely ignored my notes. I had unfortunately left my phone on loud during my speech (opps) and it kept on dinging when people placed orders on our online store - a good problem to have. Lesson learnt: must turn phone on silent during important life events!

Rana, one of our employees from Iraq, gave a speech after me.  She spoke beautifully and it was a real honour to hear more about her life in Iraq and the feelings she had setting up a life in New Zealand.  Both Rana and Boshra, our employee from Syria, bought their families and it was lovely to chat with them and join all these special people together.  Fowzyia (our employee from Somalia) was in a bright purple outfit and was posing for cameras and generally having the time of her life.  Occasionally she would look around at the underwear with a big grin and gestured to what she had made with a sense of pride and disbelief.

Jane from Budflorists made hanging flower arrangements which we in turn hung our underwear from, and they were spectacular.  As an added bonus, the arrangements made great backdrops for the many selfies taken throughout the evening.  Packing up was a breeze with the help of more loyal friends. My long-suffering parents helped to transport all the bits and pieces home, and we all let out a sigh of relief that the evening had gone so well.  

In the days since the launch, we have nearly sold out of many of our styles, which is an amazing sign of the support we’ve received from people in New Zealand and abroad. Next on our agenda:cutting another lot of fabric - the fun never stops!