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Tukua Turia; embroiderer; 2018; New Zealand
Kūki 'Airani Creative Māmas; embroiderer; 2018; New Zealand
Overview
Fashion designer Karen Walker collaborated with the Kūki 'Airani Creative Māmas, a Cook Island tivaevae group based in Māngere, Auckland, led by Tukua Turia Bishop, to create this one-off ball gown. Drawing on their tivaevae-making skills and using nine kilometres of thread, the Māmas embroidered the fabric for the dress with Karen Walker’s signature daisy (mātarīta) and flowers from their homeland – nūtupa (orchid), pītate (jasmine), kaute (hibiscus), tipani (frangipani)¸ maire (scented oak leaf fern), rau taro (taro leaf) and most significantly, the gently scented tiarie māori (Gardenia taitensis) - a white, star-like flower that is only picked in the early evening, for it opens as the sun sets.
The one-off gown was created for the 2018 Commonwealth Fashion Exchange, a project developed by Livia Firth of Eco Exchange to bring 'the values of the modern-day Commonwealth - women’s empowerment, ethical production and supply chains, innovation, economic growth and poverty reduction - to life through the globally appealing medium of fashion'; and to showcase the 'power of artisan fashion skills to deliver new networks, trade links and highlight sustainability.'
The project was launched during London Fashion Week with a reception at Buckingham Palace on 19 February 2018.
Karen Walker was one of 30 fashion designers from the Commonwealth invited to participate. She inturn invited the Kūki 'Airani Creative Māmas to work with her to create a gown. Originally, the gown was going to be appliqued as per a tivaevae, but after sampling the team realised that this approach would not work. The team adapted their design, and chose to focus on the decorative stitching associated with tivaevae instead.