Whilst New Zealand Fashion Week, Kahuria, has many highlights on its program this year, few would argue the Miromoda runway is one of the most – if not the most – highly anticipated shows on the schedule.
Founded in 2008 by Sydney-based artist, Rex Turnbull (Ngāti Tūwharetoa), and Wellington-based Advisor, Ata Te Kanawa (Ngāti Maniapoto), the Indigenous Māori Fashion Apparel Board (IMFAB) was created to seamlessly advance the quality status of Māori fashion design.
Striving to do just that, a year after launching IMFAB decided to create Miromoda.
In terms of the meaning behind the name Miromoda, Miro' is a technical term used in raranga (traditional Māori weaving) for twining fibres, whilst 'Moda' translates to fashion in Italiano.
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Initially curated for Māori fashion designers to showcase at New Zealand Fashion Week, Miromoda has defined a code of ethical practices of mutual benefit in public and trade relations. These practices also promote the appreciation of Indigenous fashion through leadership in high quality and aesthetic discernment.
Today, Miromoda continues to raise the artistic and professional standards of Māori designers.
Whilst cultural storytelling is one of the primary themes in all Miromoda designers collections, founder Ata Te Kanawa, also stresses the importance of featuring designers who are formally trained or significantly aware of technical structure and textiles.
"I think it's critical that formal training in fashion design and technical structure and textiles is invested so designers have a wider scope of what is possible," Miromoda founder Ata Te Kanawa said.
Wishing to acknowledge four Māori fashion design brands that began their NZFW journeys with Miromoda, this week's Miromoda runway includes designers Kiri Nathan, Bobby Luke-Campbell, Nichola, and Lontessa.
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"We have a reputation of pleasantly surprising people, so we tend to not give too much away beforehand. What I can share is we have 4 established designers and 2 graduates who are all Māori," Ms Kanawa said.
"Then we have a curated First Nations collection comprising prints from Ikuntji Artists.
"At this year's New Zealand Fashion Week, there are five other solo shows by Māori fashion designers who are all Miromoda Alumni…so we know our legacy is strong."
When raising the topic of trends and greater cultural representation, Kanawa is direct in her response in that she has been brewing over it amidst the event's three-year hiatus.
"As societal changes start to normalise Indigenous aesthetics in architecture, use of dual languaging and proactive Indigenous education, so too is the appeal for people to be identified accordingly," she said.
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"Fashion is a powerful platform to make cultural statements, pride being the common denominator."
Having shown at 10 consecutive New Zealand Fashion Weeks since 2009, the hype surrounding this week's showcase has been building for months in advance.
"If you were to ask me what has been my highlight since the founding of New Zealand Fashion Week it is MIROMODA," NZFW founder Dame Pieter Stewart said.
Whilst those designers showcasing in this week's Miromoda runway undertake last-minute fittings and rehearsals, the excitement surrounding the infamous runway event continues to build.
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