Pacific Starmap

Award-winning Auckland designer Visesio Louis Thomsen presents a selection of garments in this stunning exhibition. Inspired by traditional processes and materials, his garments include Samoan textile as well as Western fabrics. White tapa and fine mat make up wedding gowns and evening wear along with silks, satins and delicate organdie. In 2008, Louis won the Villa Maria Cult-Couture Premier Award as well as the Matrimonial Bliss category. In 2009, Louis won the Evening Wear section for Westfield Style Pasifika as well as the Manukau Designer Award at Villa Maria Cult-Couture. This exhibition includes his award winning garments as well as new designs. The exhibition opened on 5 March and continues until 3 April 2010 at the Mangere Community Arts Outreach Service (Tuesday – Friday 9am-5pm, Saturday 9am – 3pm).

Adi Koila Ganilau McBride is the guest international designer at the 2009 Style Christchurch fashion extravaganza. Adi Koila will be showcasing her Marama Dina Label alongside other New Zealand and international labels including Zambesi, Sakaguchi, NOM*D, Stitch Ministry, Aduki, Annah Stretton, and Emma Ford Swimwear. The show also features performances by Ladi6, one of several Pacific laureates at the recent New Zealand Music Awards. Under the creative direction of Fijian stylist Andhy Blake, Christchurch’s premier fashion event is part of New Zealand Cup and Show Week. It stages at the Isaac Theatre Royal on 12 November 2009. For more details visit the Style Christchurch website.

(Image courtesy of Style Christchurch)

Mele Alamoni and Patricia Santos have always wanted to make clothes. Last week, the two talented Kelston College students won best traditionally inspired garment at this month’s Westfield Style Pasifika awards. It has been a rapid rise to fame for them. Mele, a New Zealand-born Tongan, explained to a local daily that “my family hasn’t always had enough money for buying outfits so I’ve always been into sewing my own dresses.” The wining garment was inspired by Tongan tatoo patterns. Patricia (Philippines-born) said “it’s pretty amazing just seeing our dresses being modelled at such a big show.” The two girls have been close friends since intermediate school and plan to study their craft at AUT next year.

(Picture of Mele Alamoni and Patricia Santos’ winning dress. Image from Designer Direction Website.)

At the conclusion of another dramatic showcase of colour, texture, design and performance, AUT fashion graduate Nadeesha Godamunne, was crowned supreme winner of the 15th Westfield Style Pasifika Awards with her three-piece collection “Trompe L’oeil”. Another first-time entrant, Shenade Smith from Tauranga, was runner-up with a garment that paid homage to Sir Edmund Hillary. Little known first timer, William Jakk from Papua New Guinea, took out the MAC Body Art category with a design titled “Snake People”. Nadeesha Godamunne now heads to Italy to compete in the Mittelmoda Fashion Awards as part of her prize for winning the 2009 Southern Trust iD Dunedin Emerging Designer Awards. (Image from the Spasifik Magazine Website)

Other winners were:

Youthtown Traditionally Inspired

Winner: Mele Alamoni & Patricia Santos (Glen Eden, Auckland); Runner up: Tallulah Filloy (Queensland)

Resene Asia Pasifika

Winner: Shuai Zhangi (Te Aro, Wellington); Runner up: Donna Dinsdale and Debra Laraman (Te Puke)

MAX Three Piece Collection of Day Wear

Winner: Nadeesha Godamunne (Remuera, Auckland) ; Runner up: Caroleena Bingham (Glenfield, Auckland)

NZAF-PPP Pasifika Hero

Winner: Jo Odgers (Mt Maunganui); Runner up: Candy Elsmore (Mt Albert, Auckland)

Flava 96.1 Urban Street Wear

Winner: Shenade Smith (Tauranga); Runner up: Andre Tamblyn-Johnston (Gore)

Barkers Pasifika Menswear

Winner: Donna Dinsdale (Te Puke); Runner up: Ana Draca (Hillcrest, Hamilton)

Schwarzkopf Evening Wear

Winner: Visesio Thomsen (Manurewa, Auckland); Runner up: Angie Edgar (Tauranga)

Pacific Blue Pasifika Bridal

Winner: Trish Strongman (Mt Maunganui); Runner up: Jacinta Fitzgerald (Mt Maunganui)

Te Puni Kōkiri Parent & Child

Winner: Amiria Skipwith (Papatoetoe, Auckland); Runner up: Tarja Pabbruwe (Swanson, Auckland)

The much anticipated annual Westfield Style Pasifika fashion extravaganza is set to flow down the catwalk tonight at Auckland’s Vector Arena. The show features 85 garments selected from hundreds of submissions. The Pasifika-inspired designs are judged in several categories including evening, bridal, urban streetwear, traditionally-inspired, parent and child, body art, Pasifika Hero, Asia-Pasifika, and men’s wear. Westfield Style Pasifika is a two hour entertainment spectacle of traditional and contemporary fashion, dance and music. It is intended to reflect Pacific mana: strength, respect and pride. The show begins at 7.30 pm, Friday 4 September, 2009.

(Past winner of the bridal category, by designer Visesio Thomsen. Image from the Westfield Style Pasifika Website)

Westfield Style Pasifika 2009 returns at Auckland’s Vector Arena at 6 pm on Friday 4th September 2009. One of the nation’s iconic fashion events, Westfield Style Pasifika is recognised for launching some of this country’s finest design and performance talent and showcasing the best of Pasifika style and fashion. The show is a potent mix of traditional and contemporary fashion, music and dance featuring up to 200 of the country’s most exciting Pacific entertainers. This extravaganza is one of the most eagerly anticipated shows by designers and audiences alike. Tickets are on sale now from Ticketmaster at www.ticketmaster.co.nz or call 09 970 9700.

This design by Kiri Nathan was the 2008 supreme winner and winner of the Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs "Traditionally Inspired" category. Image courtesy of the Westfield Style Pasifika website.

Former Porirua resident Lua Talaoloa E’etau, 27, is one of three students from NZ Fashion Tech to earn a place at the New Zealand Fashion Week in September, after creating a dress made entirely out of toilet paper. The father of three, who once attended Porirua College but now lives in West Auckland, never expected to end up in the fashion industry. Talaoloa received training in the arts at the New Zealand College of Performing Arts. After working on the film set of King Kong, he moved to Auckland where he says he developed an interest in fashion while looking through fashion magazines. The youngest of 10 children, Mr Talaoloa E’etau moved to New Zealand from Samoa in 1994 and says he preferred maths over art during his college days. “Being Samoan you are usually expected to play rugby and focus on other stuff, not fashion.” His advice to young people is, “dream big and aim high”. Read more about this story in the Dominion Post.

Lua Talaoloa E'etau's pompom party dress made completely out of toilet paper. Image from the Dominion Post.