Johannesburg – Natalie Adriaan, who is the wife of comedian Alfred Adriaan, used the Covid-19 lockdown period to turn her passion for pre-loved clothing into a business.
She has expanded the business into also selling pre-owned wedding gowns.
“The dresses are sourced from all sorts of women who have absolutely no idea what to do with their wedding dresses after their wedding. Most of these dresses were just hanging in cupboards collecting dust. I posted a video launching my new wedding collection and so many ladies contacted me to help them sell their dresses. I was so overwhelmed by the feedback I received,” she says.
The prices of the many designer labelled gowns range from R1 800 to the highest one being R13 000.
“The majority of them are second hand but some of them are new due to Covid and weddings not being so easy to have these days. You are able to purchase the dress from my online store, but I do offer a service where you can come to my premises and try on the dress and also purchase directly from me. I understand that purchasing a wedding dress is not as easy as purchasing any other clothing item. You have to try it on, feel if the dress is comfortable and also have the opportunity to try on a few more dresses to see what you like.”
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She also offers a dress-alteration service and custom-made veils.
“The dresses are so affordable that you can have two dresses instead of one. This is exactly what I had to do for my wedding. There were so many things I liked and disliked, so I chose two dresses with all my likes. In this pandemic, brides out there are looking for a more affordable dress to purchase due to finances.”
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Why pre-loved clothing?
“I absolutely love how clothing makes you feel. Whenever you look good, you feel good, that has always stuck with me since a young girl. Just like the wedding dress collection, I am just trying to give people out there a chance to wear designer/brand labels for much less, my pre-loved clothing is all professionally dry-cleaned . Business has been really good and I’m enjoying my daily videos and have been getting great feedback.”
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