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Cook Islands fashion designer and choreographer Vivian Hosking-Aue has created his very first stand alone show, Ngametua.
Derived from his AUE Dance Company, Vivian created a fashion line that has grown into a successful line. The entrepreneur began styling and creating for Brett Goebel and the Royal Family Dance Palace allowing him to leave his job as a secondary school teacher.
Going on to design for the Pacific Fusion Fashion Show, it was only a matter of time before he landed on a concept of his own and after a conversation with his Mother, the challenge had been set.
“Ngametua’s my Mum’s name. I was like ‘oh Mum, at your funeral, I’m gonna’ design it, make it so beautiful, get all the florals’ and she went ‘Why are you celebrating me when I’m dead? Can’t you just celebrate with me now?” he laughed
Showcasing a 20 piece collection of his best work, Vivian watched his vision come to life as something more meaningful.
“Because I’m a dance choreographer and a fashion designer all at once, I decided for this show I’ll fuse everything together” he says
Vivian turned what was a church car park into an elaborate fashion venue and didn’t fail to attract a full house of people. Model Ernestina Bonsu-Maro says she was so proud to be a part of the occasion.
“Everyone in this room comes from different experiences and one thing I love is, it’s connecting to our mothers.”
In true Vivian fashion, the show was breathtaking and the crowd marvelled at his hard work.
Vivian says, “If you’ve seen our creations before it’s different and unique. It’s authentic and it’s ours alone. It’s true to who we are as Islanders and it’s just us showcasing our different pacific elements that we use on our creations to the world.”
