Aotearoa is blessed with an abundance of creative talent and our fashion industry is no exception.
Among the talented individuals making their mark in the industry, these six Māori designers are leading the way forward. All have been featured before on FashioNZ, and with NZFW: Kahuria gearing up to shine a light on indigenous design like never before, what better opportunity to showcase their creative excellence together, again.
Kiri Nathan
Designer Kiri Nathan (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Hine, Ngāti Maru, Ngāti Hau) is a true fashion and business powerhouse. A recent win? She was honoured as a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for her services to Māori and the fashion industry in 2020, not to mention, is set to open New Zealand Fashion Week in 2023. Making her NZFW in 2009 as part of the first Miromoda show, Kiri went on to stun attendees with an incredible solo show in 2018, which showcased her beautiful, slow fashion designs, distinctly Māori in their essence and aesthetic.
Not just a talented designer, Kiri founded the Kāhui Collective which mentors and promotes Māori designers, and led a successful hikoi to China in 2019. Four years later, Kiri operates a creative community in Glen Innes called Te Āhuru Mōwai, home to the Kāhui Mentorship Programme. The space hosts events and workshops, and is fitted out with a suite of resources including a sample room and photo suite for Māori designers to realise their aspirations.
Kiri’s influence is international, dressing notable people for equally notable moments. It was her masterfully created kākahu that then-prime minister Jacinda Ardern wore to the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. Kiri has dressed Jacinda Ardern for numerous other engagements including her visit to the Waitangi Treaty Grounds. And let’s not forget the show stopping emerald moment that was Aotearoa film-maker Chelsea Winstanley’s 2020 Oscars red carpet gown.
Looks from Kiri Nathan’s 2018 solo show at New Zealand Fashion Week.
Nichola Te Kiri
Nichola Te Kiri founded her contemporary Māori design label over a decade ago in her hometown of Kirikiriroa (Hamilton). Nichola’s design house works across a range of items include kākahu (clothing), whakakai (jewellery), nga rama (lamps) and mahi toi (artworks) which are available through her Hamilton store, online and via stockists around Aotearoa. Late last year, Nichola’s uniform collaboration with Auckland War Memorial Museum Tāmaki Paenga Hira was revealed, her revamping of the museum’s front-of-house Visitor Host uniforms designed to shore up the connection between the staff and their workplace. Nichola’s eye-catching designs have also been showcased on the runway at New Zealand Fashion Week and Hong Kong Fashion Week.
Dr Bobby Luke
Designer Dr Bobby Luke (Ngāti Ruanui) is the founder of Campbell Luke, a brand that has swiftly ascended the fashion ranks thanks to impeccably crafted garments and Dr Bobby’s unique aesthetic. Campbell Luke came into its own at NZFW 2019 with a solo debut that brought down the house with its powerful expression of indigenous cultural heritage. Prior to this, Dr Bobby’s sublime designs had captivated audiences at the Miromoda and New Generation NZFW shows.
It’s not just Dr Bobby’s fashion output that makes up the rich Campbell Luke universe. Moving image and photography are part of the craft, as a means to visually communicate his research which centres around challenging the dominance of Western design paradigms and pedagogy. Can’t wait to view his 2023 collection? Whet your appetite an enter the world of Campbell Luke as featured in a documentary about NZFW’s 20th anniversary.
Looks from Campbell Luke’s NZFW 2019 show and more recent collections.
Jeanine Clarkin
Jeanine Clarkin founded her eponymous label in 1994 and has been sharing her unique design style, which draws from her Māori culture and enjoyment of travel and art ever since. Jeanine has worked as a costume designer for dance and theatre, a fashion show producer and creative director, as well as a curator of art exhibitions, including one at contemporary art space Grey, where her sculptural garments were staged alongside sculpture and mixed media artworks. A testament to Jeanine’s artful eye, her joint NZFW 2019 show saw upcycled blankets as a focal point of her designs.
Looks from Jeanine Clarkin’s New Zealand Fashion Week 2019 show.
Adrienne Whitewood
Rotorua based designer Adrienne Whitewood (Rongowhakaata and Ngāpuhi), launched her eponymous label after graduating from AUT with a degree in fashion design and opened her first store, Ahu Boutique, in 2013. Adrienne’s inspiration comes from Māori art and culture, which she channels into day wear and accessories – notably, her eye-catching earrings. We saw Adrienne Whitewood take to the runway at New Zealand Fashion Week 2017 with a slick collection of relaxed men’s and women’s looks that drew rapturous applause. Since this debut, Adrienne’s business and family has been growing as she continues to champion Te Ao Māori.
Mitchell Vincent
Designer Mitchell Vincent is based in Kirikiriroa (Hamilton) and founded his contemporary label after graduating from Wintec in 2013. Stride after stride has been made by this passionate designer since he joined the Centre of Asia-Pacific Excellence’s Southeast Asia expedition to take his business, acumen and mindset to new levels in a compelling and wonderfully well-documented visit. Minimalist aesthetics mixed with nods to Māori heritage are at the heart of every Mitchell Vincent collection, offering relaxed styles for men and women since he first appeared in the Miromoda and New Generation shows at New Zealand Fashion Week, followed by a solo debut in 2017.
Image by James Yang and supplied.