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Overview
This award winning suit is derived from the formal modern garments of Samoan, Tongan and Fijian men. However, it also features the vibrant colours and creative use of natural and manufactured materials that are increasingly common in contemporary women's costumes.
Construction
The suit features an innovative use of natural materials pandanus, hibiscus fibre, coconut fibre in combination with a variety of fabrics and cultural styles. The three piece suit consists a satin-lined red velvet jacket, a brown satin lavalava and a ta’ovala. The ta’ovala consists of an upper band of brown patterned [Tongan] tapa, from which hangs a thick fringe of fau fibre (hibiscus bast) overlaid by a rectangular lattice of linked petals or leaves of plastic. At either end of lavalava are two long plaits of fau (hibiscus fibre).
Award winner
Asomaliu Fou Tagiilima is a New Zealand based Samoan designer who has twice been a finalist in the Oceania section of the Smokefree Fashion Awards (1997, 1998). He was also a category winner in the 1998 Pacifica show in Auckland.