PNG Fashion Week announced timely partnership with Glow Boutique ahead of launching their joint project and the first of its kind: PNG Fashion Foundation at the Hilton Hotel, Port Moresby.
PNG Fashion Week Managing Director Philma Kelegai speaking at the event recently described the new fashion alliance as a strategic and relevant partnership ahead of what is an exciting time for the creative and cultural arts industry in PNG.
“We want to forge a new way to do things, a new way to look at the fashion industry, to forge new partnerships and come up with ideas to work towards achieving the end goal for Papua New Guinea and that is economic independence for everyone.”
Glow Boutique Founder Ziya Rayani Rupa who was just as inspired, was appreciative and enthusiastic about the collaboration and said that Glow’s recent transition towards supporting and incorporating local artists was building towards this direction.
“We have gotten more into clothing, artifacts and supporting weavers and crafts people for over 12 years that we’ve been in business, but in the last five years we’ve taken a step further and developed those items by bringing on board a couple of PNG designers.
“It is interesting to see how we can work together to push the industry to another level. Its important for the industry to progress when people are able to share ideas to move ahead, to push arts and culture in the country and not to always compete with each other,” Rupa said.
For both women it took two wholesome weeks of planning and organizing to produce the PNG Fashion Foundation, the infant project of PNG Fashion Week and Glow Boutique ahead of their upcoming affiliated event, the Paradise Gala.
Ms. Kelegai announced that the gala will take place on the 18th of September at the Hilton Hotel and will set the scene for the foundation.
“So rather than just have Glow and PNG Fashion Week at the forefront of hosting Paradise Gala and the Paradise fashion events, we thought lets give back to the industry, let the industry come in, be a body and help us produce the event within the event.
“With that, we will be launching the PNG Fashion Awards (at the Paradise Gala), which is the very first of its kind from an industry body. It will be managed and run by the PNG Fashion Foundation. That is the aim for creating opportunities for everyone in the industry,” Kelegai said.
The foundation itself is a stand-alone non-profit organization and will operate to create a safe space for all in the industry to have access to opportunities through events such as runways and the PNG Fashion Awards, Ms. Kelegai explained.
