In a fraught global fashion industry, there are lessons to be learned from two designers who have never wavered from their commitment to upholding the values of traditional techniques in a modern world. When designers Guo Pei and Kiri Nathan connect in person, they remind us that when you’re in a creative funk, your roots will never fail you.

A cultural exchange, a meeting of creative minds, a connection between two businesswomen.

As one of several key moments in the launch of her exhibition Fashion, Art, Fantasy at the Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki this past week, the Chinese couturier Guo Pei’s intimate moment with our own design luminary, Kiri Nathan (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Hine, Ngāti Maru, Ngāti Hau), was a unique opportunity for the two women to connect on a personal level.

Held at Kiri’s Nathan’s Glen Innes base Te Āhuru Mōwai, Guo’s planned visit last Wednesday afternoon was arranged in support of The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, helping facilitate a unique opportunity for both designers and their teams.

Kiri’s connection to the Chinese market includes leading a hikoi to China in 2019 with the Kāhui Māori Fashion Collective made up of 15 Māori designers and creatives, who were able to raise awareness around Māori fashion while connecting with industry leaders.

“This meeting was really interesting because Kiri has been to China several times, including Guangzhou and Shanghai,” Guo explains. “But on those occasions, I wasn’t able to meet with Kiri personally, so this was the perfect opportunity to connect with her and her team while I was here in New Zealand for my exhibition at the Auckland Art Gallery.

“I am open to new ideas, and I believe that by sharing knowledge and experience with others, that is where you can learn, observe and grow together — especially within the fashion industry.”

Kiri agrees, citing the in-person connection as a chance to cross barriers.

“Relationships are always more sustainable when you meet in person, regardless of language barriers,” says Kiri. “Cultures need culture and I think for Guo Pei to come and experience a little bit of what we do here in Aotearoa in person, is far more sustainable. It’s something tangible that she can take back home and remember. Having the Kāhui Collective here too is great as it gives them an opportunity to meet and be inspired by a designer of Guo’s creative mind and calibre, and someone that utilises and implements their culture into what they do creatively, and is so successful because of it. She is a beautiful reference point for any indigenous designer.”

Along with her husband Jack and her team, Guo’s camp have already been busy in the lead-up to the exhibition launch this past weekend, where more than 60 of Guo’s garments are on display until May 5, 2024. For the first time in Aotearoa, the unique display of high fashion and art was curated in collaboration with Auckland Art Gallery’s coordinating curator Margaret Young-Sanchez and includes the famous Yellow Queen gown worn by Rihanna to the 2015 Met Gala.

Rounding off a major year as the first solo Māori fashion designer to open New Zealand Fashion Week in September, Kiri notes the meeting with Guo also highlighted the shared values as two indigenous women creating fashion inspired by their respective cultures.

“Humans and culture are intertwined,” says Guo. “A lot of communication between cultures really began quite early, for example, in China we had the Silk Road, a network of Eurasian trade routes active from the second century BCE until the mid-15th century.

“At that time, China had exported and imported different cultures. It was a time to observe culture outside of China. I visited the Auckland War Memorial Museum and saw things like the waka and traditional Māori garments and treasures, many elements I actually found familiar.

“Even walking through Kiri’s space, I immediately noticed and paid attention to the work of Kiri on display. I saw the woven works created from flax leaves and I thought about some of my own work created from pineapple leaves. I noticed the similarities in weaving. This was really amazing for me to see the similarities in terms of our work and creativity. I felt a spiritual and physical connection with Kiri’s work. I find that if you place a higher perspective on culture and humanity, you’ll realise we have more similarities than differences.”

“We call it wairua,” adds Kiri. “It’s like the essence of things. Wairua connects through people, the natural environment, people, your creativity. A lot of our connections begin from our origin stories. We came from the South Pacific, this part of the world. There’s a similar value system in our respect for the natural environment in the way we (traditionally and currently) are using natural fibre to create garments. There are examples of this in Guo’s work and my work.”

During their time of sharing, Kiri also discovered the unique similarities between the patterns made, which echo the meticulous, geometric patterning made from traditional tāniko patterns, which often tell stories of connection to ancestors, nature and the spiritual realm.

“When any creatives come together that are making things from natural fibres and elements, and using traditional techniques — so many of traditional techniques that Guo uses are traditional techniques, so many of the ways we work here are using traditional Māori techniques, but with modern materials — I think there’s a lot of unspoken connection and crossover. I can tell Guo has a deep respect for culture. You can feel this, and this takes us back to wairua.”

Viva is a proud media partner for Guo Pei: Fashion, Art, Fantasy 郭培：时装之幻梦 presented by the Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki. The exhibition is open now until Sunday, May 5, 2024.

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