item details
Unknown; maker/artist; Sāmoa
Overview
Parris is a Pasifika artist of Samoan, Chinese and Scottish descent. Founder of The Palace Dance Studio (TPDS) in Tāmaki Auckland, the hip hop dance studio is home to many dance crews including World Hip Hop Dance Championship gold medal winners, The Royal Family, Bubblegum, Request and Sorority. Parris has worked with an extensive number of popular artists from all over the world including Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, Little Mix, BIGBANG, and Taeyang and most recently with Jennifer Lopez for the half time Super Bowl LIV show.
In 2020, she was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to dance.
MTV Music Awards
This ensemble was worn by Parris at the 2016 MTV Music Awards, held at the Madison Square Garden, New York. Parris was nominated for three awards on the night, Best Pop Video, Breakthrough Long Form Video and Video of the Year for Justin Bieber’s hit song Sorry (2016) of which she directed and choreographed.
For her look on the red carpet, Parris sought the services of Sāmoan fashion designer Priscilla Ale, to create a dress that featured bold Sāmoan motifs, the aute (hibiscus) and tatau (tattoo) patterns. The result of this collaboration, was this dress and accompanying ‘ula nifo (tooth necklace).
Significance
This dress was made to embrace Parris’ Sāmoan culture and heritage, and embodies a key moment of Pacific representation intersecting with pop culture.
Acquisition History
In 2017, Parris donated the dress and ‘ula nifo to Te Papa.