CATWALK: One of the raincoats by Leilani Rickard on stage in Auckland. PHOTOS / SUPPLIED
CATWALK: One of the raincoats by Leilani Rickard on stage in Auckland. PHOTOS / SUPPLIED
A Rotorua weaver turned fashion designer has had her clothes shown at the nation's biggest fashion event - New Zealand Fashion Week.
Leilani Rickard showed eight pieces from her "Weather the Storm" collection at the Miromoda showcase held in Auckland last week.
Also showing their designs were Rotorua's Adrienne Whitewoodand Taupo's Mitchell Vincent.
Mrs Rickard had been a traditional weaver for more than 30 years and was inspired to turn her hand at fashion after she was given microscopic images of the cellular walls of harakeke (flax) that had been taken at Scion, the Crown research centre based in Rotorua.
She then transferred the images onto polyester to make raincoats and umbrellas.
"You show somebody the design and ask them what do they think it is and most say, 'some sort of reptile'. They never guess harakeke," she said.
"I have a love affair of harakeke, there's so many uses for the plant and the fact that it clothed our ancestors - they wouldn't have been able to keep warm without it."
Mrs Rickard was helped by her grand daughter - Otago University genetics student Anastasia Rickard at the show. The 23-year-old had gifted her grandmother some of the images used in the designs taken when she was an intern at Scion.
"It's a great collaboration with Scion as science is all about pushing boundaries and breaking new ground which is what fashion is about too," she said.
With family travelling to Rotorua to watch the show, Mrs Rickard said it felt amazing to be able to display her clothes on the catwalk.
"I was thinking, 'Oh my goodness, I can't believe that's our work'," she said
A meeting with businessman and Treaty negotiator John McEnteer will decide what the next step forward is for her.
An Adrienne Whitewood design on the catwalk at Fashion Week.
Meanwhile, Adrienne Whitewood said fashion week gave her huge national exposure which translated into sales at her online store.
"It's always exciting every year to see the media and bloggers come to watch your collection, but what is really exciting is when the show all comes together with the models, music and make-up."
Ms Whitewood said she appeared on Maori Television's Native Affairs show this week and TVNZ show Totes Maori, which were good platforms to launch her new website and her Rotorua store.
