In Photos: Emerging Designers On Their Favourite Moments Of Te Wiki Āhua O Aotearoa

Designers and artists from last week’s youth-focused fashion showcase Te Wiki Āhua o Aotearoa showcase special moments from behind the scenes and reflect on the lessons they’ll take into their creative futures.

Last week, a youth-focused community fashion week called Te Wiki Āhua o Aotearoa took over the moody studio of Raynham Park on Auckland’s Karangahape Rd. The event brought together young creatives from across the country (some flying in from as far as Ōtepoti to attend).

The official schedule, organised by Sophia Kwon (Fifi), Nina Bailey and Billy Blamires, spanned five days. Each evening saw the space booming with DJ sets and a crowd spilling on to the streets, for a fashion-focused celebration in a year where New Zealand Fashion Week had announced a postponement. The attendees ranged from local industry to established academics and fashionably focused peers.

The week opened with a slow-fashion runway called “Life Cycle Of A Butterfly”, spotlighting crochet, knit and embroidery. Emerging brands included Sleeping Profit, AeraTheLabel, Maxine, Zheyi Ruan, Weiwen and Kongcore.

Tuesday welcomed alternative fashion in a show called “Evil & Parties”. Designers included Laurence Sabrine and Banshee, Evangelixir, Taur, Tokyoelpari and Depth of Scye.

The last runway show walked on Wednesday. “Boys Cry” had a grungy streetwear focus, with showings from Fringes, Fourteen Labs, Milan Jeon, Maxwell, Club Klepto and Existence.

The runway layout was packed away for Thursday night, as a gallery-style showing called “Exhibit Ā” brought together the jewellers and accessory makers behind One Flat Ring, Babyhead, Platform, Twosix and Chloe Giles.

And, finally, on Friday, September 13, the week closed with an after-party. The DJ booth featured sets from D4Y, Rain Katayangi, PoppaJax, Randy Sjafrie and VitaminCos for a celebratory crowd.

And, as keenly highlighted by model and dancer Isla Potini (who signed off a set of reflective answers with “Free Palestine”) and the scattering of keffiyeh scarves among the crowd, the week-long non-profit event was energised by a fundraising effort in solidarity with Palestine.

Levi Tan

Levi, a stylist based in Tāmaki Makaurau, worked with designer Nana on AeraTheLabel’s floaty and ethereal showing for the ‘Life Cycle Of A Butterfly’ runway. Highlights from the collection included a voluminous tiered gown and a dramatic lacy veil.

“In this photo, I’m holding the collection Nana and I poured our hearts into. It was a surreal moment ... this was the realisation of a dream working on runway shows [that] I’d had for a long time. Seeing our weeks of collaboration come together and sharing it with the team before the promotion shoot and runway was incredibly rewarding. It also marked my first-ever runway styling gig – a milestone I’ll never forget.”

This experience preparing for a runway, Levi says, was eye-opening and demystified the fashion format.

“Compared to styling for shoots, runway styling requires a much higher level of coordination and planning. The dedication and creativity of the young team inspired me to explore new opportunities in the fashion industry.”

Caleb Barnett & Rebecca Tannant

Caleb and Rebecca, the duo behind Depth Of Scye, showcased their signature Victorian-ish garments for the Evil & Parties runway. Their collection featured asymmetrical ruffling, painted leather, detached statement collars and plenty of tartan.

“This is our favourite look from the night. The skirt was actually a last-minute addition that nearly didn’t make it. Rebecca was hand-sewing until the last minute to get it done. It was definitely worth it seeing it here! I think this was the statement look of our collection and brought that high drama that we aim for.”

Preparation for the runway began in July.

“We luckily had enough stock on hand to make up maybe four of the nine final looks. From there it was designing, pattern making and constructing the remaining garments to form a cohesive collection – it ended up being a long couple weeks leading up to the show.”

The designers were still constructing garments in the early hours of the morning, after flying into Auckland from Ōtautahi (”just some hand sewing and hand painting”). After their hotel workshopping, they joined other out-of-town designers at Raynham Park.

“We hadn’t done a dress rehearsal the week prior like the other two shows. This meant doing two run-throughs on the day while simultaneously fitting models, tweaking looks and steaming and pressing everything that had been jammed in suitcases to get ready for the runway. All in all very chaotic but that’s the fun part.”

The experience was an encouraging one, says Caleb.

“We’ve always struggled to put ourselves and Depth of Scye out there, we joke we’re great at making clothes but suck at everything else that comes with running a brand. Āhua has given us a push to be more forward-facing and pop out more often because the reception was great!”

Eva Zhang

Eva is the designer behind Evangelixir who also showed a collection at Evil & Parties. The collection showcased precise and cheeky leather miniskirts and textural contrast with hard metal materials.

Eva’s collection has its thesis in academia.

“Preparing for Āhua involved pulling and repairing pieces I had made from my graduate collection. Since I’ve been limited to my access to equipment this year, I decided to flesh out my pieces, restyling them in a way that is more in tune with my current embodiment of Evangelixir.”

The designer says the preparation of the collection, and especially the experimentation with 3D printing and melting casting, involved plenty of trial and error. However, the trying work led to a special runway moment (captured by photographer Ryan Patrick).

“This was my last look of the collection, modelled by Gin, debuting my aluminium breastplate. There’s something about the moodiness of the image, the veil paired with the makeup look by Jenny and Wei Ting and Jess MacRae which just all melts together in a really beautiful way. I had no idea what the makeup was going to be until the day so it was really fulfilling to see it all piece together.”

Eva says the sense of community at the event has been personally influential.

“I’m so grateful to the creators behind Āhua, Billy, Fifi and Nina. They’ve introduced me to a whole new world of creatives of different mediums and potential collaborators. Going forward, I want to do my part in keeping this creative community alive.”

Milan Jeon

Auckland-based designer Milan Jeon showed a collection of denim drapery, which included oversized hoods and swinging skirts at Boys Cry.

In Milan’s chosen photo, taken backstage by Felix Jackson, model Sam Dexter wears the final runway look.

But, moments before the runway were also memorable Milan says.

“During our final rehearsal before the show, we had a chance to see the full setup, including the visuals, dancers, DJ, and other elements specific to our group. This rehearsal brought the vision to life, clarified what to expect, and made us even more excited (and a bit nervous!) for the show.”

The preparation and collaboration was both nerve-wracking and inspiring.

“Each session was filled with amazing energy, with everyone coming together with excitement and encouragement. It was clear we were all committed to an important cause and supporting each other as fellow creatives.”

Finn Mora-Hill

The Ngāi Tahu designer behind Fringes, who also collaborated in organising the As We Watch The World show in Ōtepoti earlier this year, showed gothic and utilitarian garments flecked with paint during Boys Cry.

“Getting ready for the Boys Cry show on the day was organised chaos (much like any show). Personally, I love these environments, problem solving and making adjustments at the last minute can create unique opportunities that wouldn’t come without the craziness of it all,” says the Fringes designer.

Finn’s favourite photo from the week arose from this commotion:

“This was one of those last-minute ideas that happened about two hours before the show, relating back to the opening line of the event; “they had the chance, now chance has us.”

For Boys Cry, Finn aimed to produce a cohesive collection filled with brand signatures.

“A lot of my work has modular functionality so I could remove sleeves, collars and hoods to fit the desired shape and feel. For the rest of the garments I focused on textural and form elements, combining fabrics and using belts to achieve top-heavy and slightly aggressive or provocative silhouettes.”

Moving forward, the designer is looking to spotlight the personal experience of working as an early-career designer.

“I want to delve more into providing consumers with hyper-transparent information about what it’s like for emerging designers to try to create an image and clothing in this tumultuous environment.”

Liv Harwood

Babyhead jeweller Liv Harwood showcased sterling silver pieces with organic shaping for Exhibit Ā.

Liv revelled in the supportive crowd during Te Wiki Āhua o Aotearoa. But a personal moment was uniquely special for the designer.

“I love this photo of my hand adjusting the ring on the [display] arm. It’s sort of like a moment between myself and Babyhead. I don’t identify as Babyhead, she’s more of an extension of my creativity rather than ‘me’.”

Liv says that Āhua began as an exciting opportunity to debut work as an emerging jeweller.

“The process, however, proved to be even more exciting and rewarding than anticipated, largely due to the incredible jewellers and designers I encountered throughout this experience. The opportunity to exchange knowledge and inspiration with fellow artists was the most valuable aspect for me.”

The designer expects the event to have a lasting effect.

“I’ve been able to see first-hand the power we hold when we collaborate by utilising our special and unique talents. When you showcase in a shared creative space, you begin to see the value in your craft and inspire each other to reach new heights of artistic expression.”

Isla Potini

Isla modelled at all three runway shows for Te Wiki Āhua o Aotearoa and choreographed a dance performance for Boys Cry alongside Norman Liaina.

Dancer Isla was very familiar with the Raynham Park runway by the end of the week, after walking for seven designers, including but not limited to Kongcore, Wei Wen and Fourteen Labs.

“My favourite photo of the week has to be this shot of me walking for Tokyoelpari by the amazing Tia Tahau. I love how it captures so many intricate aspects of Tia’s work from the leather wrap half skirt, to the 3D detail across the rib, and the ‘pari’ booty band … plus the pose is kinda nasty (lol).”

Isla says the week was creatively inspiring and hopeful.

“I think beautiful things blossom from acts of love and that’s exactly what Āhua was – a love letter to all art forms [and] the creative with a burning passion for something that, at times, can feel unobtainable. Look at the magic we can create when the community pulls up!”

Ryan McKenna, photographer

This photographer, working under the name Ryan Patrick, was chief archivist throughout the week.

For Ryan, who estimates taking more than 5000 photos through the week, choosing one photo is difficult. One from the closing night of Te Wiki Āhua o Aotearoa does come to mind:

“Here’s one of the organisers, Nina, during the celebration of all the models and talent at the afterparty. I just love everyone’s energy and I love seeing everyone celebrate it all!”

The photographer was looking to capture the runway, street style and special moments at the afterparty.

“In terms of what I’m going to take forward, for me it’s really just about celebrating independent creatives and all the work they do. I love seeing people express themselves and want to celebrate that as much as possible.”

Madeleine Crutchley is a multimedia journalist for Viva and premium lifestyle and entertainment at the New Zealand Herald. She covers stories relating to fashion, culture and food and drink, from her hometown of Tāmaki Makaurau. Recently, she’s written about climate change and fashion, rising local jewellers and sporty street style.

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