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.
