Flores de Musa models at their catwalk workshop with coach Raine Symons in the blue top. Photo / Harry Harold Hermoso Photography
Flores de Musa models at their catwalk workshop with coach Raine Symons in the blue top. Photo / Harry Harold Hermoso Photography
Organisers cannot guarantee councillor Lew Findlay will once again respond positively to Mayor Grant Smith’s challenge to “show us some leg”.
But he might.
Both men are modelling Musa Fabric garments at Flores de Musa fashion show in Palmerston North on Saturday.
They and their wives, Meriam Findlay and Michelle Smith, are four of 30 models/advocates taking part in House of Musa New Zealand’s launch.
Musa Fabric was launched in 2020 by Filipino accountant and fashion designer Joy Soo. Waste banana fibre and thread such as cotton or silk are handwoven to create fabric.
Musa is the scientific name for banana and Musa Fabric provides employment for indigenous people and prisoners in Davao del Norte, the banana capital of the Philippines.
At the second workshop last Saturday, catwalk coach Raine Symons guided the models/advocates through slowly rotating so everyone in the audience gets a good view of what they are wearing.
Symons instructed the models to not look down at the floor as the floor is not going to help them. Instead, they will need to pose for three photographers on the big night. The hips know what to do - don’t try to control them, Symons said.
The fashion show is organised by Palmerston North insurance and mortgage adviser Carmela Evora-Laylo. Originally from the Philippines, she is also the chief executive of House of Musa New Zealand.
While many of the models/advocates are from the Filipino community also taking part are Basia McIntosh, originally from Poland, and the chairwoman of the Palmerston North branch of the New Zealand Institute of International Affairs, Ramola Duncan.
Catwalk coach Raine Symons advises Kendall Abais, 12, on how to best present herself. Photo / Harry Harold Hermoso Photography
One of the models is Kendall Abais. “I like walking down the runway and strutting my stuff,” she says.
The 12-year-old has learned to walk properly in heels and says to avoid a clicking sound you transfer your weight from the ball of your foot to your heel.
Her 10-year-old sister Izzara is also modelling. They both love playing dress-ups and performing.
Their father, John Abais, will sing upbeat music for the final walk of the models.
He said respect for others is a big part of the Filipino culture. The fashion show is helping support indigenous people in the Philippines and introducing Kiwis to banana fibre.
The fibres are extracted from the stem of the banana plant. Musa Fabric is known for its strength, durability and unique texture, Evora-Laylo says.
Flores de Musa is about so much more than just fashion. “It’s about making a real impact and changing the lives of marginalised people. By attending and showing your support, you become a part of this meaningful movement,” she says.
Rastem Eugenio, music director at the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, will also entertain.
