High calibre designers to showcase at Te Puia fashion show Tiki Āhua

Kiri Nathan's collection will be on show at Tiki Āhua - Kura Mōwai | Sacred Waters. Photo / Supplied

Fresh from the glitz and glamour of New Zealand Fashion Week, designers Kiri Nathan, Misty Ratima and Taongahuia Maxwell will showcase their work at Tiki Āhua.

Tiki Āhua – Kura Mōwai Sacred Waters will bring fashion, design, music and dance to Rotorua's Te Puia on October 6.

Thirty designers and artists will display their work at this year's event where streetwear, daywear, and evening wear will feature alongside jewellery and adornment, including in-situ tā moko.

Nathan, known for producing high-end fashion, pounamu and contemporary korowai, relished her first solo show at New Zealand Fashion Week after being personally asked by the founder and strategic director, Dame Pieter Stewart.

Seeing the showing as an opportunity to give back to the people who have supported her brand for the past eight years, Nathan said being involved in Tiki Āhua was as much about giving back as it was about celebrating Māori fashion.

"Tiki Āhua is about the Māori fashion community coming together. It's a chance to have conversations, lend a hand to emerging designers, and support the kaupapa Tiki Āhua is successfully instilling.

Ratima featured in the Miromoda fashion show at New Zealand Fashion Week, taking out supreme winner for the second year in a row.

"The reaction I received for my avant-garde collection, which portrayed the whare tangata (womb) and decolonisation, was encouraging. It was rewarding to know women felt empowered, enlightened and united in making a stand against violence against women.

"I'm excited to debut at Tiki Āhua where I'll likely present a combination of the two collections I showcased at Miromoda," she said.

Maxwell, an emerging designer who also showcased at the Miromoda fashion show, will similarly be debuting at Tiki Āhua featuring evening wear under the label Kahu Huia.

Te Puia general manager sales and marketing, Kiri Atkinson-Crean said the inaugural event in 2016 was a sell-out.

"This year will be no different, with a high calibre of designers set to grace the runway throughout the evening.

"Tiki Āhua provides a rare chance to see leading designers, interwoven with contemporary music, art, dance and live performance, as well as exceptional food, wine and manaakitanga, in a setting unlike anything else in the world."

The runway event will be followed by a concert headlined by L.A.B, the band founded by the Kora brothers and featuring musicians from Katchafire.

Tickets can be bought for both the runway show and the concert, or separately. For more information, including prices, go to www.ticketmaster.com.