Hawaiian Airlines Mamo Wearable Art Fashion Showmodel

Published May 29, 2018 at 5:00 AM HST

The Maoli Arts Movement, or MAMO, Wearable Art Show established a base for native Hawaiian fashion when information technology began 12 years ago. Last year, Manaola was the first Hawaiian to step from the MAMO phase into the New York Mode Week spotlight. This year, organizer Vicky Holt Takamine says the MAMO rail show features a Maui designer who is ready to take off. HPR's Noe Tanigawa reports.

Fashion born and raised in Hawai'i hits the rail Midweek night, May 30th. It'due south the MAMO Wearable Art prove in a new location, the Hilton Hawaiian Village Tapa Ballroom. Find tickets at the Pa'i Foundation website.

Kumu hula Vicky Holt Takamine is Executive Managing director of the Pa'i Foundation, which sponsors the MAMO Article of clothing Arts Evidence. A snappy dresser herself, Takamine has been instrumental in kanaka maoli fashion's current boom.

Takamine: Coming in from Maui for the beginning time this twelvemonth, is Koa Johnson. Koa does haute couture, he is off the rail chart. I think he's one of the adjacent ones to become to New York Fashion Week.

Koa Johnson used industrial materials to create gowns in the style of Hawaiian royalty for his testify at the Honolulu Museum, his pieces for his KoJo couture characterization are urban romantic. Anna Kahalekulu will also bring her swingy designs from Maui.

Takamine: And a new upwardly and coming designer, Kanoelani Davis, from Moloka'I, very sporty wear.

I got an 'ohe kapala print tube skirt from her last twelvemonth.

Wahine Toa, Kawika Lum-Nelmida, and Keoua Nelsen, will exist there. Jake Pacarro's Salt Water Heals is joining the line up, and Maile Andrade is debuting some of her prize students.

The Wearable Fine art show is at the Hilton Hawaiian Village this year. Why the motion, Vicky?

(l-r) Kumu Hula Michael Pili Pang, with the 2018 runway MC'due south, also both Kumu Hula, Vicky Holt Takamine and Robert Cazimero.
Credit Pa'i Foundation

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Takamine: I think nosotros wanted to expand our offerings for our people. We wanted to take a dinner result so people that desire to come early on can sit and have a overnice dinner, and then a trunk show and a marketplace place. Our artists have dressing rooms, we're using the suites effectually. You know the back of the theatre was getting very crowded with designers. I'm not certain that it'south not going to exist crowded this year, because we also have a cast of I don't know how many models for each of the designers. It'll be fun.

Haha yeah people fly in to model simply to get at the clothes.

Takamine: The Artists are coming in Tuesday, and final preparations brainstorm. Takamine says they've done everything to keep the tickets affordable while withal paying for the room, the lighting, the technical. It'south a monster.

The Tapa Ballroom is bigtime! The history, the ambiance. No one ever accuses Takamine of aiming low.

Takamine: So art for us is ever thing that we wearable, the eli nosotros make, the flowers we use for ornamentation. To me, that's art. The kakau, the tattoos on our body, the lauhala weaving, feathers, lei hulu, all of that is art.

Marques Marzan, for example, has used traditional materials to create bold silhouettes that dialog squarely with international haute couture.

Takamine: We're wearing information technology! We're walking down the street and getting dressed up and going out in the evening with our native Hawaiian manner.

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