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."