Kon'nichiwa, I'm Gill - I work as a retail assistant at Frip Vintage a couple of days a week.
CLICK HERE to see Gill’s realway to runway styling
I initially trained to be a primary school teacher and taught in Wellington and in Japan for about four years. I lived in Osaka and fell in love with Japanese culture and aesthetics. Also some of the Japanese ways of living (e.g. Wabi sabi, ikigai). On weekends I often visited Kyoto, photographing temples and beautiful gardens.

When I returned to New Zealand, I had the opportunity to work for a production designer. I started  on TV commercials as a runner. I loved this experience and continued working in the film industry. I’ve been very fortunate to work on many big budget feature films including Lord of the Rings and The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. 

A love for Classic Styling

Working at Frip Vintage has let me further explore my love of classic styling. And I love the Frip idea that clothing can have a second life and be treasured by a new owner.

As a student I loved Marilyn Sainty clothes. I still have a few of her skirts which I bought from Zambesi in the 1980’s. That ties in with the Frip philosophy that certain styles come back into fashion again and again over time.  

Every week beautiful new pieces come into Frip. I love going through all the fun sweaters and stylish jackets and showing those to people when they come in store. There’s so much to choose from.  I enjoy chatting with visitors to the store, getting to know what they are interested in and helping them find the right pieces for them.

The mannequins in the front windows are my favourite part of the store .They’re showcasing Frip style  and the great stock we have. 

Out and about

On calm days you'll often find me riding my bike along the waterfront. I also enjoy gardening when the weather allows. And perhaps reflecting my initial training as a teacher, I am passionate about learning so I’m doing a couple of courses with the Open Polytech related to business technology and customer services.