The New Zealand Maori Fashion, dubbed “Harakeke Couture”, is the brainchild of New Zealand based artist and designer Shona Tawhiao.
It combines seemingly polar opposites – traditional weaving and avant-garde fashion. Yet, they blend together seamlessly bringing out the best of the two.
This particular art of weaving is called raranga that features flax fiber known to Maori as harakeke. This allows the designer to create truly impressive pieces of clothing that somewhat resembles a battle armor.
That’s no coincidence, which can be especially observed in some of the headpieces and tops (or should we say chest plates).
This iteration of New Zealand Maori Fashion manages to history and contemporary art, just like the designer herself has managed to combine her knowledge of raranga and her passion for design.
This has not gone unnoticed in the fashion industry resulting in many awards and fashion shows getting under Shona Tawhiao’s belt. From looking at the stunning designs, there’s nothing else to say apart from that those distinctions are definitely well-deserved.
