Nicole Rebstock

However, one day something sort of clicked. It was the first day of the semester break and I was dreading the three legal opinions I had been assigned to write. I remember sitting up in bed and thinking, yet again, about the shoe label. At that moment something clicked, and I thought, “Nobody is born with the ability to create a shoe business or design things, you have to learn, and if other people can do it, so can I”. I ran downstairs, grabbed a pen, and drew my first shoe. It wasn’t a particularly good drawing but it was the start of something.

From that moment on I started gearing my life to make the leap. I got a job in a shoe store, I went to China with one of my classmates to meet shoe manufacturers, I enrolled in some courses at the London College of Fashion, and ultimately opened my first store on High Street in Auckland in 2017, where I worked 6-7 days a week.”

Having a dream and consistently working hard has been key to Nicole’s journey and success.

We asked Nicole if there were any businesses in Christchurch that she believed were punching above their weight: “My shout out to a fellow business would be Inati- absolutely incredible food and a unique and exciting dining experience. Couldn’t recommend more highly.”