It’s an event many Pasifika fashion aficionados look forward to every year, and despite Auckland’s tentative Alert level status, Pacific Fusion Fashion Show (PFFS) boldly announced it will return on December 4th.
The will “literally [stop] traffic” on Great South Road in Papatoetoe, turning the main road into a high-fashion runway for 11 Pasifika designers.
Last year’s digital event was a first for PFFS, streaming live from the capital. However PFFS founder and director Nora Swann is looking forward to returning the show’s roots in South Auckland.
“We have always been a proud South Auckland hosted event, from East Tamaki, Ōtara, Māngere Bridge, Manukau and this year old Papatoetoe,” says Swann.
“We are looking forward to bringing our event to life and hosting this year’s show on the actual road — yes, Great South Road.”
“Auckland Council and Auckland Transport have been really helpful in supporting my team with this year’s location as well as Panuku and the Ōtara Papatoetoe Local Board. My business also moved into old Papatoetoe earlier on this year, so it has been great connecting with the business community here and being able to highlight some of the retailers not in only in our marketing campaign but also as the backdrop for this year’s event.”
The designers were originally meant to make their debut at this year’s NZ Fashion Week in August, which was subsequently cancelled due to the lockdown. However, a January contingency plan has been put in place should the December event fall through.
“The Pacific fashion community (fashion designers, models and everyone working behind the scenes) were both relieved and happy to hear that we had decided to go ahead,” adds Swann.
“It is actually giving everyone something to look forward to, especially us in Auckland who have been in weeks of lockdown. We’re hopeful that because our event is in early December, that Government would’ve implemented the necessary Covid-19/Delta safety measures that will both allow our event to go ahead and give the community the confidence to attend.”
Click here to see the 11 designers who will be showcasing at Pacific Fusion Fashion this year.
