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Kiri Nathan is to be the first Māori to open New Zealand Fashion Week in late August.
Nathan, who has picked up numerous accoladed for her contributions to Māori and the fashion industry, says her 2023 collection is based on the haerenga of fashion for Māori, from kākahu muka through to today and a look into the future.
She says it’s sad it’s taken more than 20 years for a Maori to lead off the country’s premier fashion showcase, but it’s also a chance to establish a reference point.
“Reference points are really important to us all but specifically in this industry for Maori it’s really good to see people doing things they maybe haven’t seen in those spaces before because if you see it, you can be it,” Nathan says.
Also on show at the Auckland Viaduct Events Centre will be Bobby Luke’s latest Campbell Luke collection, and Kate Sylvester, Kathryn Wilson, Juliette Hogan and NOM*d will also send their creations down the catwalk.
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