Te Aho Tapu - The Sacred Thread, weaves together ancestral techniques and contemporary design at New Zealand Fashion Week

On show will be kete, kahu, piupiu, and tāniko-woven slippers, alongside a timeline tracing the shift in materials used over time. The collection also includes four korowai woven by Diggeress Te Kanawa, selected from the collection she spent 25 years creating for her 12 children, which high-profile visitors to Aotearoa have since worn. The evening pairs a private viewing of these taonga with a panel discussion among leading creatives and a runway showcase of four contemporary designers. The showcase explores the rich artistry of weaving across cultures, from Māori raranga to Indian textile practices. Curator and panellist for the event, Dr Rangituatahi Te Kanawa (Ngāti Maniapoto), and daughter of master weaver Diggeress Te Kanawa, says the showcase will take guests on a journey of the history of kākahu. "This showcase celebrates the artistry of weaving, a practice deeply rooted in mātauranga Māori, exploring its evolution over time and how similar weaving traditions exist across other cultures. “For our tīpuna, kākahu began with weaving, harakeke in hand. Now a new generation of fashion designers are carrying that same mātauranga forward through weaving in all its forms from high-end crochet, knitting, and beyond,” says Te Kanawa. The night, led by Otene Hopa (Ngāti Whatua Orakei, Ngāpuhi), will feature a panel discussion with Liz Mitchell MNZM, Dr Rangituatahi Te Kanawa, Nigel Borell (Pirirākau, Ngāi Te Rangi, Ngāti Ranginui, Te Whakatōhea), Dr Bobby Luke Campbell (Ngāti Ruanui) and Misty Ratima (Rongomaiwahine, Rongowhakaata, Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Hine), convened by Natua Kaa Morgan (Ngāti Whanaunga, Ngāti Pūkenga ki Waiau). Following the panel discussion, the runway showcase from young contemporary designers Samsara Jade (Ngāpuhi), Jumaanah Vahora (South African & Indian), Charli Nikora (Ngāti Tamaterā), and Kaelyn Tongia Bendall (Papua New Guinean) will close the event. Dr Bobby Luke Campbell, Art and Design Senior Lecturer at Auckland University of Technology and founder of design label Campbell Luke, says the young designers in the showcase are bringing raranga practices back into everyday life through mediums many people would not immediately connect to weaving. “Raranga has always been such an innovative form of design, and now fashion students are innovating it all over again through their generations’ passion for slowing the industry down,” says Campbell. Sister to Rangituatahi and event curator for Te Aho Tapu as well as Auckland Museum, Dr. Kahutoi Te Kanawa (Ngati Maniapoto), says Te Aho Tapu is an opportunity for people to see and understand kākahu and taonga outside of a display case. “Our kākahu, like many cultures, holds purpose,” says Te Kanawa. “These taonga are stored in museums now for their preservation but they were once a taonga that took months of labour to make, made for us to survive, to protect us, a part of our daily life.” Event details: What: Te Aho Tapu - The Sacred Thread - Fashion Showcase When: Friday 21 August, 6:30 - 10:30pm Where: Auckland Museum - Te Ao Marama The Auckland Domain Parnell, Auckland New Zealand Tickets: www.events.humanitix.com/te-aho-tapu-the-sacred-thread-fashion-showcase