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National | Māori

Otara hosts The Pacific Fusion Fashion Show

South Auckland suburb Otara recently hosted The Pacific Fusion Fashion Show.  The event put some of the more colourful aspects of the community on show and celebrated the raft of raw designers, models and artists emerging from Polynesia.

The show was set up on the doorsteps of the Otara shops.

Director Nora Swann says, "Because I'm Otara, born and bred, I'm very proud Otarian. For the past six months, we've been here a lot and just connecting with the locals and they're excited too."

The Pacific Fusion Fashion show is in its second year and it doesn't showcase your stereotypical model.

Leilani Tominiko says, "What's unique about it, not only is it showcasing Pacific Island and Māori designers and models but it's quite diverse in that includes different shapes and sizes and also includes the transgender people."

The show consists of 11 emerging designers. Seven of them being locals from South Auckland.

Nora says, "I think this is a good opportunity for Pacific and Māori designers to showcase the infused fashion that's coming through from both Māori and Pacific designers so it's got the mixture of the tradition, culture, values and belief, and then it’s the infused, the lifestyle we live in today. We’ve put that together and that's what they are putting on to the runway."

The experience for these fashion designers and models is only a stepping-stone into the fashion industry.