Being immersed in Maori culture and tourism from a young age inspired Adrienne Whitewood to get into Maori fashion design.
Adrienne Whitewood (Rongowhakaata, Ngai Tamanuhiri) is an award winning Maori fashion designer who has a passion for bringing her culture into her work.
Miss Whitewood studied design at AUT before returning to Rotorua to complete a toi whakairo (Maori carving) course at Waiariki Institute of Technology and a tikanga Maori (customs) course at Te Wananga o Aotearoa.
After completing her last fashion collection, Miss Whitewood said the idea for a Maori collection popped into her head.
"When I came home for my last collection, out of the blue I thought why don't I do a Maori collection? I sold the whole lot of my 30 pieces and realised how marketable Maori design is especially with the tourists. That's where my passion for Maori design grew. Studying Maori and being immersed in the Maori language has really made me passionate."
Her next project is completing a 700 piece collection with fellow designer Amiria Skipworth for next year's national kapa haka competition Te Matatini.
With parents who do Maori outings and tours, Miss Whitewood said it was "natural" for her to get into Maori design. She said growing up in Rotorua was a reason her culture was so significant.
"My culture is significant for me, especially growing up in Rotorua - it's the hub of Maoridom, the cultural capital of New Zealand, so it's been influential on me.
"I think what I've found is there are so many Maori businesses and entrepreneurs that have inspired me to do things around Maori culture - I've seen how successful it can be both here and on the world stage."
Miss Whitewood attended Rotorua Girls' High School and Rotorua Intermediate, where she first studied Maori and participated in kapa haka.
She said there were three things needed to become successful as a fashion designer.
"First, there's self motivation, secondly be persistent - the fashion industry is all about disappointment and you've got to rise above that challenge. Last, you've got to have that desire.
"Also, there's so much help out there for young Maori interested in design, I had help from my iwi as well as from Miromoda (the indigenous Maori fashion apparel board). there's so many services available for young Maori to start their own businesses - you just need to go out there and have a look for it."
To find out more about Adrienne Whitewood's designs, visit www.adriennewhitewood.com or www.facebook.com/AdrienneWhitewood.