In Tinā, The Film’s Samoan Costumes Shine Against A Backdrop Of Canterbury Conservatism

In celebration of today’s nationwide release of director Miki Magasiva’s film Tinā, Dan Ahwa talks to its celebrated costume designer Sacha Teuila Young about the film’s distinctive use of wardrobe to tell the story of grief, dignity, and hope. Spoilers ahead.

In director Miki Magasiva’s film Tinā, there’s a scene all too familiar for Pacific Islanders who choose to wear their culture (literally) on their sleeves in mostly Western workplaces.

The film’s main protagonist, substitute teacher Mareta Percival played by Anapela Polataivao (ONZM), is wearing a formal Samoan two-piece set known as a puletasi. Often patterned with traditional motifs or brightly coloured cotton, the top and matching wrap lavalava/skirt are worn to show respect to others. When she is confronted by one of her white male colleagues who suggests she should wear something “more formal”, Mareta shoots him a death glare and tells him “Where I’m from, this is formal.”

For the film’s costume designer Sacha Teuila Young, the task of dressing Mareta was one close to home, growing with a father who is part Samoan and a palagi mother who were both teachers in the 1970s-90s. “There were many parallels to the film that I could relate to, which made it all the more rewarding to work on,” says the 35 year old whose extensive costume design credits include Briar Grace-Smith and Ainsley Gardiner’s 2021 film adaptation of Patricia Grace’s novel Cousins, and 2020’s Baby Done directed by Curtis Vowell and starring Rose Matafeo. She’s also a regular fixture behind the scenes on local TV shows and is currently working on wardrobe for season six of Taskmaster.

READ: Patricia Grace, Briar Grace-Smith & Miriama Grace-Smith: The Curious Case Of The Grace Family

In Tinā, Mareta is grieving losing her daughter in the Christchurch earthquakes. To turn her life around, she reluctantly takes on a role as a substitute teacher at an elite private school in Christchurch, instigating a school choir in the process.

The film joins a canon of films that explore the Pacific Island diaspora in Aotearoa including Chris Graham’s Sione’s Wedding and Toa Fraser’s No.2, but part of what makes Tinā especially revealing is how the story’s universal theme is set against the backdrop of Christchurch, which has one of the lowest concentrations of Pacific Islanders living there compared to other major centres across the country.

Last year, it officially opened the Hawai’i International Film Festival; was part of the Perth Festival schedule and won the Winner Best Narrative Feature Audience Award at the Palm Springs International Film Festival. In March, it will be screened as part of the official programme for the Māoriland Film Festival.

In the film, Mareta’s pride in her culture and her values is embodied in her love of a puletasi – including one in particular rendered in a vivid bright orange, a stark contrast when sitting on the stage at school assembly among other staff members wearing subdued colours.

“Miki had a beautiful vision for Mareta and her puletasi, as well as Anapela having a strong sense of character and resonating with specific colours and designs,” says Sacha, who played to Christchurch’s colder months by layering the puletasi with long-sleeved thermal tops peeking out from underneath.

“It was scripted that she would always represent her Samoan culture while teaching at St Francis of Assisi, and as you mentioned, the puletasi is the most formal attire for her. Her bright orange puletasi, in stark contrast to the navy school uniform, was a deliberate choice – positioned on opposite ends of the colour wheel to create a strong visual juxtaposition. Keeping Mareta in traditional puletasi was integral to the storyline, reinforcing her deep connection to her culture and highlighting the values that come with it.”

To create Mareta’s distinctive puletasi, Sacha enlisted one of the country’s biggest manufacturers of puletasi – Lucky Star in Ōtāhuhu, working with seamstresses and their extensive range of fabrics, while Mareta’s church whites, another significant inclusion in every Samoan woman’s wardrobe, were crafted at Island Designs in Avondale. “My wonderful assistant costume designer, Kama Scretching, also played a key role in designing and altering the puletasi to ensure they were comfortable for Anapela to wear while filming.”

Another key outfit worn in the film is when one of Mareta’s students Sophie, played by Antonia Robinson. At a choir competition, Sophie is adorned in a puletasi fitting for a young woman, with a traditional Samoan fine mat – referred to as either ie Toga/ ie Samoa / ie ole malo, made woven from pandanus leaves and wrapped around her waist.

READ: How The Costume Designer For ‘The Panthers’ Dressed A Movement

“We did in-depth research around what her attire would be, especially underneath the ie Samoa. We landed on the asymmetrical puletasi design with a colour palette that was similar to what we see Mareta’s daughter Lanita (played by Tiare Savea) wearing.

“Ana Miskell, the incredible production designer, connected us with Teleiai and Rosina who made the ie Samoa possible. The final ie Samoa that Sophie is seen wearing was a labour of love, made over 10 years ago by the women of Teleiai’s family from the village of Matatufu under the supervision of his late mother Puataunofo. It takes up to one year to complete a grade one ie Samoa and is considered the finest and most valuable of the fine mats in Samoa.

As for creating the school uniforms in the film, Sacha tapped into the various details and elements that have shaped the look and feel of so many of the country’s elite colleges.

“Our incredible dresser, Liv Parker, attended school in Christchurch during the same period the film is set, which gave us valuable first-hand insight into local school uniforms,” says Sacha. “We researched private high school uniforms across New Zealand to identify the design elements that made them feel prestigious and reputable.”

“We also aimed to highlight the contrast between feminine and masculine silhouettes – dressing the girls in tunics with shorter tailored blazers, while the boys wore boxy knitwear and long blazers. It was a huge bonus to work with local factories on such a tight turnaround.

A big shout-out to Monique and her team at NZ Fashion Uniforms for the blazers, Troy and Kathy at NZ Knit for the navy knitwear, and Shonya at Parisian for the school ties. Our incredible costume standby, Māhina Bennett, was pivotal in ensuring the uniforms looked immaculate in every scene.”

Supported by four team members responsible for the entire film’s wardrobe including Kama Scretching, Liv Parker, Māhina Bennett and Ana Keil, Sacha’s expert delivery on-screen is an example of her ability to understand clothing as a form of storytelling, especially in films that explore a range of diverse themes.

In the case of Tinā – whether it’s the rigorous cut of a preppy school blazer or the sharpness of a tidy puletasi – the film’s costumes are symbolic of something many New Zealanders need to be reminded of right now. Unity.

Dan Ahwa is Viva’s creative director and a senior premium lifestyle journalist for The New Zealand Herald, specialising in the intersections of style, luxury, art and culture.

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