Te Wiki Ahua O Aotearoa
By Delilah Gow for Sans Pareil
Model, artist and all-round creative Delilah Gow takes Sans Pareil backstage, front row and everywhere in between at Tāmaki Makaurau’s favourite indie Fashion week: Te Wiki Āhua O Aotearoa.
ĀHUA – KAPA by LONTESSA
Āhua opened with The Sacrifice – a bold performance where the model, dressed in striking white, was intertwined with blood-red ropes, creating a visceral contrast that set the tone for a collection that showcased duality: restraint versus release, tradition versus play.
Sara Doss
Next followed Lontessa’s vibrant, sporty silhouettes infused with vintage undertones and playful fringe, weaving together bold colourways and athletic-inspired cuts. Drawing from the Māori concept of kapa – to come together as one – the pieces celebrated individuality within unity. Lontessa created garments that called to connect body, lineage, and fierce community.
ĀHUA – MANA WĀHINE by CHARLI NIKORA and MIKE DE WET
Mana Wāhine by Charli Nikora and Mike De Wet was a cultural experience, alive with colour, geometry, and whakapapa. The runway unfurled with stunning woven textiles elevated by unique jewellery statements, some exchanged between models mid-walk in gestures of connection and lineage. A solo violinist heightened the drama. Both the model and the pieces they wore carried elegance and defiance, reaffirming the mana of wāhine.
MATERIAL GIRL by SLEEPING PROFIT featuring BABYHEAD
Material Girl was all things shining, shimmering, splendid. It started like a dream, with a performance where a web-like structure drew a model slowly into its centre, setting the tone for a story of transformation and entanglement.
Bailey Fleming Jono Ong
On the runway we saw iridescent fabrics. Blues and soft purples shimmered like twilight skies, the garments alive with a siren-like energy. The models walked in an intriguing star-shaped formation, as if each look represented a different facet of self - past, present, or future.
Bailey Fleming Jono Ong Jono Ong
Jono Ong Jono Ong Bailey Fleming
RITE by FRINGES and ANTHURIUM featuring JESS MACRAE
Rite by Fringes, Anthurium and Jess Macrae was an incredibly hypnotic, non-traditional take on a fashion show, blurring the line between fashion and performance art. Three models entered bound together in a single length of fabric, which was then cut, pinned, and altered before the audience’s eyes into three distinct looks, each adorned with silver chain and makeup. The act of construction itself became the show; an exploration of process, impermanence, and transformation. In the end, nothing remains fixed. The dresses, created in real time, were designed to be dismantled along with the jewellery, leaving only the memory of a moment of originality.
Brendon Tipene
Felix Jackson
Aliyah Edwards Paris Munro
Brendon Tipene Aliyah Edwards
PRECIOUS by SHERBET LEMON
Welcome to the dollhouse. Laylah Hannaford’s Precious invited us into her whimsical world, where she opened up a life-sized dollhouse for all eyes.
Vivienne Tam Felix Jackson
Time for the dolls to play. From the runway, I felt the surreal tension of being both covered and uncovered, as well as a nostalgic taste of playing dress up as a girl. Lace and bright bows concealed and revealed lingerie pieces, contrasting the harsh, exaggerated drag-like doll-faced makeup. Creepy dolls surrounded us as we posed, turning girlhood play into a haunting spectacle. Inside and out, Precious was as much about questioning who gets to look and define femininity as it was about reveling in self-expression; power and vulnerability stitched into satin.
Aliyah Edwards Vivienne Tam
Vivienne Tam Natalie Koren
GRIT and BARE IT
by ZOE LANGLEY, RUOHAN ZHAO, RYAN SHEPHERD, and MAXWELL RYAN
Grit & Bare It brought a hard-line edge to the runway at Āhua. Raw streetwear energy fused with imaginative reworkings of staple pieces. Muted rockstar palettes and sharp tailoring were given a grungy, lived-in finish, with standout looks like a hybrid dress - appearing to be made from a pair of trousers, topped off with a scarf… no a coat… no a scarf?The designers kept the audience on its toes, blurring the boundaries of function and form while still grounded in thoughtful construction. This collection demanded attention, reminding us that strength lies not in blending in, but in holding your ground with style, unapologetic presence, and pure GRIT.
Vivienne Tam
Natalie Koren Sarah Doss
Sarah Doss Vivienne Tam
ĀHUA DAY 5 - KAITIAKI by JUNESCRY
Junescry is definitely a designer to be watched! Māori roots + a futuristic vision = a new and incredibly unique series of pieces that felt both ancestral and post-apocalyptic. Earth-derived textures dominated the runway. From woven fibres to shredded flax, to items that seemed to be dripping and oozing, each garment carried the marks of endurance and harmony. My personal favourite was a breathtaking piece crafted from paua shell, its iridescent surface catching the light like armour. The intensity of the show never faltered; each look demanded attention, weaving a web of whakapapa and futurism into live artworks that felt kinetic, resistant, yet adaptable.
Aliyah Edwards
Aliyah Edwards Paris Munroe
Aliyah Edwards Brendon Tipene
Brendon Tipene
SECOND BLOOM
by FABLE CREEK, MOTH, EQUILIBRIUM, DREAMCULT, & WINNIE CATHERINE
A fairycore daydream. Second Bloom unfolded like a storybook - dreamy, whimsical, and brimming with woodland magic. With earthy tones, fragile lace, and flowing silhouettes, in this forest we find butterflies, fair maidens, and pixies brought to life on the runway. A beautiful dance performance deepened the enchantment, while looks shimmered with Cinderella-like elegance and etherealcharm. My personal highlight was the opening moment, when butterfly wings emerged, setting the tone for a show that felt like stepping into an immersive fairytale world.
Sam Beach Yuki Wada Yuki Wada
Yuki Wada Yuki Wada Suin Kim
ĀHUA DAY 6 - LUCKY by MIMA
Lucky by Mima was a playful, feel-good celebration of creativity, community, and the art of repurposing. With a beautifully diverse cast of models, the runway felt alive with whimsy and charm. Each look showcased just how much can be reimagined from recycled garments - or recycled-just-about-anything! Vibrant pops of colour and inventive details kept the audience delighted, from a green skirt crafted out of a kid’s play mat (as pictured below) to bin-scavenged shirts sliced and spliced and remade into a new chic outfit. Fun, wearable, and confident, the collection radiated self-love, reflective of our true inner and outer beauty when we look in the mirror.
Bailey Fleming Daria
Bailey Fleming Daria Bailey Fleming
Daria
ĀHUA DAY 6 - ON BEHALF OF…
by EXISTENCE, LIOR BLAQ, FLAX HUBZZY, & WIDESKYMINE
Warning: splash zone! On Behalf Of was a particularly unique experience as models stormed a stage transformed by a giant puddle of water, splashing their way through the collection in leather, wet-look fabrics, and unapologetically edgy shapes. It was raw, defiant, and literally dripping with attitude - like stepping straight into Aaliyah’s Try Again music video (iykyk)! The waterlogged spectacle added an unpredictable edge, making every stomp and splash feel like a rebellion, especially when some members of the audience were splashed! The collection speaks to Dunedin’s dark resilience; proof that Dunedin fashion refuses to stay dry or play it safe with a show that was as grunge and daring as it was unforgettable. The only thing I hate to think was how soggy the model’s shoes must have gotten.
Felix Jackson Adrian Martinez
Adrian Martinez Bailey Fleming Adrian Martinez
Adrian Martinez Suin Kim Adrian Martinez
ĀHUA DAY 7 - BAPTISM by JUNE JOY
June Joy’s Baptism was a hauntingly beautiful translation of raw beauty.We enter a living room set that felt at oncerich andalive, softly intimate, lavish, and surreal. The space was drenched in red light, casting models as shadows of one another, moving with an invisible choreography between light and dark. Interactions felt spectral, as if each figure existed on a different plane, their presence both sultry and divine. Ballet dancers heightened the tension, embodying the fight between purity and decay, masculine and feminine. This was no ordinary fashion show, it was an otherworldly passage into the dark divine.
Aliyah Edwards
Aliyah Edwards Bailey Fleming Aliyah Edwards
Aliyah Edwards Bailey Fleming Aliyah Edwards
GOOD MOURNING by ELIZABETH MAY, JASMINE JURY, FIONA LU, REAL LIFE, & AWATEA
One word: NOIR. Good Mourning was an X-rated fever dream and ode to grief, rendered as fashion and reclaimed as our own. The runway was consumed in shadow - dark, sultry, and daring with sheer fabrics, sculptural lingerie, and revealing figures that spoke of the defiance within vulnerability. It felt like attending the most stylish funeral imaginable. Sexy, solemn, and powerful; where mourning became a reclamation of strength. Each look a courageous statement reminding us of the strange, seductive beauty that can be found within us during times of loss. Sometimes we have to lose ourselves to uncover the raw skin beneath.
Bailey Fleming Aliyah Edwards
Yuki Wada
ĀHUA DAY 8 - ANGEL OF TIME by VESSELS OF DECAY featuring PLATFORM
“Angel of Time” by Vessels of Decay transformed Pitt Street Church into a haunting spectacle where fallen angels drifted between light and shadow. With a contrasting grunge, angelic edge, and ghostly korowai, the collection carried a vampiric beauty - both eerie and divine. We (the models) emerged from the darkness as if immortal beings, our presence exuding supernatural power, decay and rebirth. As I drifted down the aisles I felt as if I could pause time - suspending all that surrounded me. The setting and styling spoke to status and infinite transcendence, each step echoing with the weight of history and eternity.
Aliyah Edwards Bailey Fleming Aliah Edwards
Felix Jackson Daria Daria
Felix Jackson
Felix Jackson
ĀHUA DAY 8 - PLUR
by VANDAL & HOUND, THUNDERHORSE STUDIOS, RHIAN, & JOSH JOSZEF
‘PLUR’ was a full episode of rave culture, pulling the audience straight into a glowing, pulsating world of colour and sound. Guests were handed glow sticks at the door, immediately setting the tone for a night that felt both nostalgic and electric. The runway came alive in a neon explosion - bold shapes, and playful references to retro 80’s energy and early 2000’s club culture, complete with the flicker of old TV screens. It was a loud, fun, unashamedly vibrant explosion of creativity that reminded us fashion can be both a celebration and a party in itself.
Yuki Wada
Yuki Wada Bailey Fleming
Aliyah Edwards Daria Aliyah Edwards
