Aotearoa is blessed with an abundance of creative talent and our fashion industry is no exception.
Aotearoa’s fashion landscape is richer, bolder, and more grounded in identity thanks to a powerful wave of Māori designers who continue to shape the narrative. From international showcases to flagship openings, these six creatives are fusing culture and innovation with unapologetic authenticity – taking indigenous design far beyond our shores. Here’s where these Māori designers are now, and why the world is watching.
Kiri Nathan (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Hine, Ngāti Maru, Ngāti Hau)
Designer Kiri Nathan (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Hine, Ngāti Maru, Ngāti Hau) is a true fashion and business powerhouse. She was honoured as a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for her services to Māori and the fashion industry in 2020.
Since opening NZ Fashion Week in 2023, Kiri has maintained her momentum. In 2024 she was shortlisted among three finalists for the prestigious New Zealander of the Year awards and won the Fashion Quarterly Fashion Awards for Contribution to Māori Fashion. In December 2024 she launched her first flagship store in Britomart, Auckland, offering exclusively Aotearoa‑made pieces. Her brand continues to invite local and international acclaim, dressing global icons including Barack and Michelle Obama, Beyoncé, and the Duchess of Sussex.
Not just a talented designer, Kiri founded the Kāhui Collective which mentors and promotes Māori designers, and led a successful hikoi to China in 2019. Kiri also operates a creative community in Glen Innes called Te Āhuru Mōwai, home to the Kāhui Mentorship Programme. The space hosts events and workshops, and is fitted out with a suite of resources including a sample room and photo suite for Māori designers to realise their aspirations.
Kiri’s influence is international, dressing notable people for equally notable moments. It was her masterfully created kākahu that then-prime minister Jacinda Ardern wore to the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. Kiri has dressed Jacinda Ardern for numerous other engagements including her visit to the Waitangi Treaty Grounds. And let’s not forget the show stopping emerald moment that was Aotearoa film-maker Chelsea Winstanley’s 2020 Oscars red carpet gown.
Kiri Nathan’s 2023 NZFW: Kahuria show.
Nichola Te Kiri
Nichola Te Kiri founded her contemporary Māori design label over a decade ago in her hometown of Kirikiriroa (Hamilton). Nichola’s design house works across a range of items include kākahu (clothing), whakakai (jewellery), nga rama (lamps) and mahi toi (artworks) which are available through her Hamilton store, online and via stockists around Aotearoa. In late 2022, Nichola’s uniform collaboration with Auckland War Memorial Museum Tāmaki Paenga Hira was revealed, her revamping of the museum’s front-of-house Visitor Host uniforms designed to shore up the connection between the staff and their workplace. Nichola’s eye-catching designs have also been showcased on the runway at New Zealand Fashion Week and Hong Kong Fashion Week.
Dr Bobby Luke
Designer Dr Bobby Luke (Ngāti Ruanui) is the founder of Campbell Luke, a brand that has swiftly ascended the fashion ranks thanks to impeccably crafted garments and Dr Bobby’s unique aesthetic. Campbell Luke came into its own at NZFW 2019 with a solo debut that brought down the house with its powerful expression of indigenous cultural heritage. Prior to this, Dr Bobby’s sublime designs had captivated audiences at the Miromoda and New Generation NZFW shows.
Dr Luke has continued to assert a powerful Māori-led vision in fashion. His 2023 NZFW collection, Oranga Ngākau, featured live kapa haka, Super 8 film, repurposed fabrics, and deeply personal storytelling, earning widespread acclaim. In 2024, he accepted a position teaching at AUT, embedding kaupapa Māori and takatāpui identity into design education, and has signaled plans to author a book on indigenous fashion methodologies
Looks from his 2023 NZFW collection, Oranga Ngākau.
Jeanine Clarkin
Jeanine Clarkin founded her eponymous label in 1994 and has been sharing her unique design style, which draws from her Māori culture and enjoyment of travel and art ever since. Jeanine has worked as a costume designer for dance and theatre, a fashion show producer and creative director, as well as a curator of art exhibitions, including one at contemporary art space Grey, where her sculptural garments were staged alongside sculpture and mixed media artworks. A testament to Jeanine’s artful eye, her joint NZFW 2019 show saw upcycled blankets as a focal point of her designs.
Looks from Jeanine Clarkin’s New Zealand Fashion Week 2019 show.
Adrienne Whitewood
Rotorua based designer Adrienne Whitewood (Rongowhakaata and Ngāpuhi), launched her eponymous label after graduating from AUT with a degree in fashion design and opened her first store, Ahu Boutique, in 2013. Adrienne’s inspiration comes from Māori art and culture, which she channels into day wear and accessories – notably, her eye-catching earrings. We saw Adrienne Whitewood take to the runway at New Zealand Fashion Week 2017 with a slick collection of relaxed men’s and women’s looks that drew rapturous applause. Since this debut, Adrienne’s business and family has been growing as she continues to champion Te Ao Māori.
Mitchell Vincent
Mitchell Vincent (Ngāti Tūwharetoa) is a designer whose creative journey is connected to heritage and his commitment to meaningful, mindful contemporary fashion. Based in Kirikiriroa (Hamilton), Mitchell’s path in fashion began with a passion for design and a desire to create garments that reflect both personal identity and collective belonging.
After graduating in Fashion and Practice in 2013, Mitchell embarked on a journey of self-discovery and professional growth, continually drawing inspiration from the process of reconnecting with te ao Māori. This ongoing relearning has become a cornerstone of his design philosophy, influencing not only the aesthetics of his work but also the values that underpin his creative process.
With an extensive and established career in the retail fashion buying and manufacturing industry, you might already know the label from its years showcasing at New Zealand Fashion Week, a testament to its enduring influence on the Māori fashion scene. He first appeared in the Miromoda and New Generation shows at New Zealand Fashion Week, followed by a solo debut in 2017. Internationally, Mitchell Vincent Collection has graced runways in Sydney, Kuala Lumpur, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Bangkok, and Manila, further cementing its status as a globally recognised indigenous brand. The label’s designs have also made notable appearances on popular television shows, red carpets, and have been worn by some of New Zealand’s favourite celebrities.
Business in recent years has taken Mitchell to Southeast Asia, with the goal of cultural exchange while exploring business expansion to Thailand, Malaysia, and the Philippines. This journey was made possible after he joined the Centre of Asia-Pacific Excellence’s Southeast Asia and Asia New Zealand Foundation, taking his business acumen and mindset to new levels in a compelling and wonderfully well-documented visit.
The purpose of the Mitchell Vincent Collection is to create a Māori fashion brand that honours the art of garment construction, with the heart of relearning te reo Māori and building a future vision for what indigenous fashion design can be. Each piece in the collection is thoughtfully crafted, blending vibrant colours, end-of-line or ethically sourced fabrics, versatile silhouettes, and captivating prints that tell a story. The result is a range of kākahu (clothing) and taonga (jewellery) that exude strength, cultural richness, and a profound sense of belonging. The brand is dedicated to stitching together traditional knowledge and contemporary aesthetics, forging a new path for premium Māori fashion on the world stage.
Today, Mitchell Vincent continues to shape the New Zealand fashion landscape with a label that celebrates diversity, honours cultural heritage, and invites wearers to express themselves with style, grace, and authenticity.
Images supplied.