More to Miromoda Runway than Just Fashion

More to Miromoda Runway than Just Fashion

When founder of the Indigenous Maori Fashion Apparel Board Ata Te Kanawa read the bio of talented singer songwriter Te Karehana Gardiner-Toi aka Teeks, she decided to track him down and extend an invitation to the rising star to make a cameo appearance as a model in the NZ Post Miromoda Showcase at Fashion Week.

“I decided it was worth a shot,” says Te Kanawa. “He has a very chiselled look, is tall and slim and his avid interest in fashion is evident in his hit single If Only video,” she says. Her gamble paid off, and Teeks is as excited to walk in the show as they are to have him.

Teeks is walking in the opening collection by winner of the Emerging section of Miromoda’s annual fashion design competition, Jacob Coutie, to his own track Wash over me. “I haven’t done this sort of thing before,” says the singer. “But I’m walking to my own music so I should be sweet!” Coutie is understandably thrilled to have Teeks showcase his garments. “He is such a genuine and humble guy and his songs draw from his life experiences,” he says. “Those things are so cohesive with my collection. “

Another young person playing a role in the NZ Post Miromoda Showcase while carving a career in architecture is 20 year old Raana Pepere. Working to address her thesis, Pepere has produced collateral to contribute to the Miromoda brand and space which has an abode that is not actually ‘fixed’. Pepere’s creations include four laser etched leather posters and 300 laser cut wood ply pendant/broaches for show goodie bag inclusion that reflect a nod to Miromoda’s 2017 theme, the tuatara.

“This partnership sent my thesis along a path I wasn’t initially expecting but it has become one I certainly wouldn’t take back,” she says. “Having the opportunity to work with Miromoda within the constraints of a brief while being beneath the veil of the western corporate structure has taken my thesis from theoretical to real life exposure.”

Also working to create a generic but reptilian look for the group show is Michael Beal of Wellington’s Buoy Salon and Spa. Working with a team of L’Oreal head stylists from around the country, the 2014 and 2017 New Zealand hairdresser of the year sought to direct the hair for the NZ Post Miromoda Showcase. For those sorry to have missed out on the 50 public tickets that sold out within hours of their release, technology comes to the rescue with a live stream on the NZ Post Facebook page.

“The NZ Post Miromoda Showcase at NZ Fashion Week is a platform by which some of our bright, new talent can showcase their design skills to the world,” says Tina Morgan, Head of Brand, Marcomms and Sponsorship at NZ Post. “We want to ensure that this opportunity is maximised by supporting these designers with logistics and business know-how but by also using our own platforms and technology to expand the reach of the runway show to fashion followers that can’t attend,” she says.

Following on from being given the honours to officially declare NZ Fashion Week open on Monday night, Te Kanawa says showing for nine consecutive years has dispelled their former novice status. “Having an entity like NZ Post align their brand to ours has boosted and solidified our presence at NZ Fashion Week.”

ENDS

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