PNG designer set to overcome ‘roadblock’
By Epeli Talei
A regional designer at this year’s Fiji Fashion Week (FJFW) lost her entire collection to another continent but that has not frazzled her.
Papua New Guinea national Sarah Todd has instead set out to prepare new pieces for her PNGianKala collection for the Pacific Resort Wear show tonight.
“The agent that was supposed to send it to me saw New Guinea and thought West Africa,” she said at a FJFW press conference yesterday morning.
The entire collection comprised of 24 pieces, all of which used flowing silk material. The pieces were printed in Asia because the digital prints she wanted were not available at home.
“I have come here with nothing,” she said.
“But in the 48 hours I have been here, I have found somewhere to print new ones and a tailor who is willing to produce my line or pieces.”
She will showcase 12 pieces at tonight’s runway show.
Several of the pieces are dedicated to the late Susan Karike Huhume who designed the PNG flag.
“I used the Bird of Paradise and Stars to honour the woman who designed our national flag,” said Todd. “The pieces with the Bird of Paradise and Stars are dedicated to this wonderful old woman, who sadly passed on recently.”
Her runway collection uses spandex fabric because there was not enough time to source high-end silk.
The entrepreneur, who operates a cleaning business that employs about 250 people, spent four months designing and printing the original pieces.
Despite her disappointment at the setback, she said she was determined to still showcase her art.
“The world is going to throw roadblocks at you and that is where you have to say: Whether I give up or no; I will look for another way to make things happen,” she said.
She said her mission is to showcase the untapped beauty of Papua New Guinea through her brand, PNGianKala. This explains her label’s tagline: Wear your culture.
Tomorrow’s exhibition will be her third runway show in Fiji.
