Te Wiki Āhua O Aotearoa, New Zealand’s highly anticipated week-long fashion event is set to showcase a diverse range of innovative designers who are pushing the boundaries of creativity.
From jewellery inspired by nature to fashion that tells a personal story, these artists bring unique perspectives to the runway. In this article, meet the visionaries behind the collections, learn about their journeys into their craft, and discover what drives their creativity both inside and outside the studio. Get ready to explore the artistry and passion that defines this year’s lineup.
Nana // AeraTheLabel
Designer showing at Life Cycle Of A Butterfly (9th September)
How did you get into your craft?
I’ve always been a creative person, deeply immersed in the arts throughout high school. I spent countless hours in the art department, growing so close with my art teachers that we would often have lunch together. I took up textile in my last year just to fill up space, I hated exams so much that textile class was the only other option. Surprisingly, I found myself really enjoying it, and I turned out to be quite good at it. This unexpected interest led me to continue exploring the field. Aera started six years ago, I taught myself a lot of my skills coming out of high school. I showcased my first-ever collection at an independent art exhibition curated by a group of underground artists like myself. We wanted a platform to display our work, so we created one, hosting the event at After Hours. That collection was the result of countless trials, errors, and invaluable lessons, marking the beginning of my journey as a young and evolving artist.
What passions or interests do you pursue outside of your craft?
I have 3 vocations, unfortunately they are all to do with work but luckily all different to each other. I like to say I do a little bit of everything; I’m currently working as an assistant manager at a cafe & bar, I’m very grateful to have this position as it allows me the flexibility to work in my own time and still have my creative freedom – running social media and marketing, organising different events and music gigs, also being able to meet other creatives is a big plus, of course there are the admin side to that which isn’t as much fun but I won’t be getting into all that boring stuff. I’m also a barista and bartender on the side, this is my third location. Sometimes it feels like I’m living 3 lives, having my Hannah Montana moment, which I must say keeps me very busy and things quite fun. Every day is somewhat different but the same.
What inspires you, and where do you get your inspiration from?
My designs are deeply inspired by my personal life experiences, the people around me, and the environments that shape me, as well as taking references from film and art. For myself, fashion is a form of expression and storytelling that is conveyed through the silhouettes, textures, and tones. By being vulnerable in my art, I offer the world a glimpse into my life, inviting others to connect on a personal level. I design for those individuals who find a connection with their own life stories, whether they are filled with joy or sorrow. Just like life, my work is forever changing and developing. The question of aesthetic and identity as a designer/artist remains open-ended and that’s what I love, it’s the beauty of it all. It’s a continuous path of learning and experimenting.
What key processes or techniques do you use to create your work?
I often spend days or even weeks procrastinating, during this time I’m usually sitting in thoughts before diving into the design process. This period of reflection is where the ideas begin to take shape, and from there, everything else flows naturally.
Michael De Wet // One Flat Ring
Jeweller showing at Exhibit Ā (12th September)
How did you get into making jewellery?
As a teenager, I lived with chronic fatigue. I wanted to be able to get outside and do more adventurous sports and be more creative with my fashion and what I made, and this motivated me forward. To celebrate a milestone in my journey of getting better, my mum took me out to buy a gift. We found an awesome sterling silver ring, but it was too small for me and it wasn’t possible to re-size. Knowing that I loved making things, mum suggested I try to recreate it myself, and that’s where it all started.
What activities or interests do you enjoy when you’re not designing jewellery?
I am doing a full-time dental technology apprenticeship (yes, the making of teeth). The rest of my time is spent rock climbing, hiking and generally going on outdoor adventures- all the things my younger self dreamed of doing when I got better.
Where do you find inspiration for your jewellery designs?
The colours, shapes and textures of the materials I find around me in my life and work have always been a key source of inspiration. I’m fascinated by reimagining ‘non-jewellery’ materials and shapes into a wearable piece. Another big inspiration comes from the time I spend outside connecting with the land through the local bush and rocks of Aotearoa. A lot of my jewellery is also created in moments of procrasti-productivity. When I get stuck learning new dental technology techniques, my mind wanders and I end up procrastinating by making pieces of jewellery out of dental materials such as leftover denture teeth and a ceramic material called zirconia.
What processes are used to make your jewellery?
I use a wide range of different materials to make my jewellery. From ceramics to greenstone, titanium to gold they all require different processes. Whether it be anodising, polishing, light curing or sintering I’ve had to spend a lot of time learning and figuring out how to do them. For my zirconia pieces I acquire the material in a soft almost chalk like state in various different shape sizes and colours. The next step would be refining my shape and creating my desired surface texture. The last step will be to place it in a kiln and fire overnight which hardens the ceramic and sets it in place.
Jenny // Zheyi Ruan
Designer showing at Life Cycle Of A Butterfly (9th September)
How did you get into your craft?
I have always been creative; my parents love art and they used to take me to all these hobby classes. Our house was always surrounded with art, also families and friends of my parents who are artists and creative people. Naturally they influenced me to be arty crafty from a young age. That led to me doing a design degree in university and here we are now.
What passions or interests do you pursue outside of your craft?
I work as an admin for a screen-printing company that does mostly uniforms and some fashion apparel.
What inspires you, and where do you get your inspiration?
My inspiration comes from all sorts of places. I have done a collection that is inspired by music before. I have done work inspired by the Rorschach test; the universe, which I did a collection based on the astrophysical facts of each planet of our solar system. Another collection was on philosophy around the meaning of being a human in the posthumanism/ transhuman future. Also some very driven friends.
What are some processes/techniques you use in your work?
I do lots of draping and a lot of drafts on Clo3D. I was trained in the more traditional pattern making side but had to learn to embrace technology.
Angela and Ningyi // Platform
Jewellers showing at Exhibit Ā (12th September)
How did you get into your craft?
We started in primary school when scoobies were super popular and we realised the only thing worth doing with our time was making pretty but time-consuming objects to give to people. We also lived and breathed arts and crafts class and specialised in portfolio border design with felt tips and colourful gel pens.
What do you do outside of your craft?
We’re developing an online raffle fundraiser called Platform for Palestine. It will launch at The Keep at the end of September, so please stay tuned.
Y: I like to swim when I’m not working on other projects. When I do work on other projects, my practice is photography and mixology
N: I try to find precious stones in op shops, it’s like gambling but cheaper.
What inspires you, and where do you get your inspiration?
N: Trying to create my methodology is what inspires me the most. My goal is to create my way of casting, finishing and stone setting one day. And perhaps develop some new tools too.
Y: I feel inspired by “brave” ways of constructing form. Sometimes when you see an object and it looks unsettling or uncomfortable it sort of changes the way you read other objects for a little while, that experience is really interesting to me and I feel inspired to recreate that experience or to make something in response to that.
What are some processes/techniques you use in your work?
Y: I like to have a plan before I start making and see how I fail that plan in the process. It’s fun to see the difference between an idea for a work and the realisation of that work. The most important technique I use is compromising, and sometimes when I compromise well, the results are better than I expect.
N: We use lost wax casting in almost everything. We solder all our chains with a mini butane torch and polish in the studio room of our flat. I only design or prototype when I make commission piece, for a collection, I just start making and then select the successful pieces.
Luke // Taur
Designer showing at Evil & Parties (10th September)
How did you get into your craft?
For the most part during my studies at University, I worked towards a more traditional sketch,pattern draft, toile, final fabric method staying very by the book. I often ran into issues with not fully being able to fabricate the images in my head. So working towards my graduate collection in my final semester, I became increasingly unhappy with my work as traditional procedures proved inapplicable towards my designs. It was around this same time when NZFW23 happened and the overproduction of monotonous designs and empty clothes plagued my headspace and made me doubt whether any artist can survive making work that’s true to them without selling out and making cheap garments for the masses. I was on the brink of turning my back on fashion altogether. It wasn’t until one of my friends, an art student studying at ELAM at the time, sat me down and got me to rethink my approach to my craft. I was afraid to fail and whipped myself into staying by the book. My friend told me to throw that out the window and just create without thinking about the reception they’d get. For that following week I listened to my materials, sculpted forms on mannequins, completely changed my theoretical research and instead turned my examination into painters and sculptors rather than dressmakers and designers. My true voice emerged and resulted in a collection that was my most authentic body of work to date at the time. Distancing myself as much as possible from the mundane and toxic overproduction, working towards making garments that mean something and aren’t just existing in the world to make a couple bucks.
What do you do outside of your craft?
At the moment in my life everything revolves around fashion and art. My extracurricular activities mostly just extend to other mediums of creation including jewellery, painting and sculpture. I recently bought an old spinning wheel with the intention of working my way through a couple big bags of raw sheep wool grown and shorn on my grandparents sheep farm down in rural Canterbury. When I’m not creating I’m consuming every kind of inspiration and information I can get my hands on. Keeping up with what other fashion students and artists around the world are doing.
What inspires you and where do you get your inspiration?
A big part of my inspiration stems from early iterations of human clothing where early man had to create out of necessity to brave the elements and harsh world they existed in at the time. Crude stitches and simple drapes and tucks creating effective silhouettes and forms I could never have achieved had I stuck to traditional flat pattern drafting. I recently purchased an old second hand book that’s the focus of my current collection for Āhua. It’s a thesis from the 30s where an anthropologist investigated the Stone Age in Russia. The book includes incredible photography of excavation sites and diagrams of the stone tools found in them which influence the form of exploration in my own design.
What are some processes/techniques you use in your work?
Oftentimes I started with a flat length of cloth and drape, twist, tuck and tack it on a dress form. From here I either continue sculpting or flip it and move it around the body to create new shapes and silhouettes from my original piece. With my leatherwork, I get two pieces that don’t fit together, and stitch and curve them, forcing them to create warped and aggressive lines exploring new silhouettes. My pieces also include many ties and loops inviting anyone who wears my designs to explore different ways of wearing them. I do my bit in making the pieces, but then it’s up to the new owner to discover how the garment is theirs.
Caleb & Rebecca // Depth of Scye
Designers showing at Evil & Parties (10th September)
How did you get into your craft?
Our journey into fashion design began with a friendship rooted in artistic collaboration. Rebecca and I, Caleb, have been close since high school, always supporting each other’s creative pursuits. While Rebecca focused on fashion, I explored graphic design. After graduating from Whitecliffe in 2015, Rebecca honed her skills with small Wellington-based fashion labels, and I worked as a freelance graphic designer. The turning point came in 2021 when we were invited to showcase a collection for Project Fashion Wellington. What started as a modest collaboration evolved into an ambitious 15-look collection, ultimately giving birth to Depth of Scye. This project allowed us to merge our individual strengths – Rebecca’s fashion expertise and my artistic background – into a cohesive brand that reflects both our visions.
What do you do outside of your craft?
Between managing Depth of Scye and maintaining our full-time jobs, our free time is limited but we do enjoy chilling with our cats. We also try to stay connected with our local creative community, attending gallery openings or fashion events when possible, which helps us stay inspired and networked within our industry.
What Inspires you? And where do you get your inspiration?
We’re deeply inspired by the idea that everyone should have the opportunity to pursue their passions – for us, that’s fashion. We are also blessed to be surrounded by a diverse community of incredible designers who constantly push us to evolve both creatively and professionally. Our designs draw from a rich tapestry of influences: shared life experiences, architecture, music, religious imagery all playing a significant role in shaping our design language. We’re particularly drawn to Victorian-era fashion and art, incorporating elements like intricate ruffles, dramatic bishop sleeves, and delicate lace throughout our garments. This harmonious blend of historical influence and contemporary vision defines the unique character of Depth of Scye.
What are some processes/ techniques you use in your work
We’re committed to a slow fashion philosophy, prioritising quality and craftsmanship over mass production and utilising fine luxury fabrics such as silk over cheaper alternatives. Our in-house approach encompasses every stage of creation – from initial pattern-making to final construction and embellishment. This hands-on method, while labour-intensive, allows us to maintain exacting standards and infuse each piece with our personal touch. Some stand out techniques include hand painted graphics and couture sewing techniques.
Milan Jeon
Designer showing at BOYSCRY (11th September)
How did you get into your craft?
Going to thrift stores with friends at a young age with barely any money made me realise how a person can completely transform their persona through simply what they wear- regardless of the price or randomness of the clothing. I found this really interesting and started pondering on a deeper level about the connection between human psychology and the garments we wear. Simultaneously I fell in love with painting and sewing at school and wanted to keep pursuing this path, and unregretfully my time at uni has helped me to realise my craft on a much more personal and deeper level.
What do you do outside your craft
Upon recently completing my Master’s this year, I have been tutoring at Whitecliffe as part of the sustainable fashion faculty team. Aside from this, I am collaborating with other local creatives to produce more work!
What inspires you, and where do you get your inspiration?
I am inspired by anything- in the past, it has been modernist painters but at the moment I am inspired by thinking of new ways to rework discarded/ forsaken materials or garments. My Master’s thesis dealt with the deconstruction and reconstruction process within fashion design (specifically denim), and through this method, challenging the conflict of form, function and ideology of a garment (i.e. denim jeans). In this way, I hope to keep challenging the conception of upcycling being a niche practice.
What are some processes/techniques you use in your work?
My work style changes in a fluid manner like myself as I am also continually changing and growing, but at the moment I have been falling in love with the surplus of creative ideas that come from deconstructing an old garment and reworking them through the method of draping. Viewing an old garment not for its commodity value or functionality but for its textile quality and material culture has been key to me.
Finn // Fringes
Designer showing at BOYSCRY (11th September)
How did you get into your craft?
I started having an interest in creating garments in 2016 when I learnt to screenprint and would make t-shirts to give to my friends at the skatepark, I was given my grandmother’s sewing machine and I started to make jeans which led me to wanting to study fashion later on but at the core of it was community support, exploring textiles, shapes and curiosity.
What do you do outside of your craft?
When I haven’t locked myself in my studio or when I’m not working, I love exploring with my friends, photography, music and I still have a burning passion for skating.
What inspires you? And where do you get your inspiration?
I’m inspired by systems, concepts and ideas that challenge the current self-destructive state of fashion, with the contradiction of making more clothing and adding to the clutter of the world I’m inspired by creating ways for consumers to look at the garments they own in a different light. Aside from that, I’m inspired by textures and shapes from dilapidated items I see on a day-to-day basis.
What are some of your processes/ techniques you use in your work?
I start with finding a purpose for the garment, whether that be giving autonomy, customisation through modularity or hyper-transparency the garment needs to interact with the consumer on a deeper level. (if it doesn’t then the purpose of the garment is to belong to me wahoo) Digital pattern making and creation is a large part of my process, most of my work in the past 3 years has been made on clo3D, this software has so much potential with product visualisation, customer interaction and waste reduction and I am still going down the rabbit hole of how to leverage this software.
Tickets for all shows are on sale now. Get them HERE and check out the Āhua instagram HERE for more updates!