What does authentic cultural representation look like in fashion in Aotearoa?
If you’re esteemed Māori designer Kiri Nathan, powerhouse influencer and PhD candidate Latafale Allyssa Verner-Pula, or This is a Fashion Show podcast host Sammy Salsa, the answer lies in how you show up every
day.
In conversation with Nathan and Verner-Pula on This is a Fashion Show’s latest episode, Salsa says “Representation is everywhere we walk, every room we walk into, every place we walk out of”.
Salsa, himself a trailblazing stylist and creative director, says Nathan is a champion of indigenous stories, and Verner-Pula is one of the most exciting young voices in Aotearoa right now.
For both Nathan and Pula, cultural heritage has been a gift they have carried through their work and continues to define their world-view.
Nathan, who in 2023 became the first Māori designer to open New Zealand Fashion Week, is committed to supporting the next generation of indigenous creatives, having carved her own path in a challenging world.
“Sharing without ego and without gatekeeping is really, really important,” she says.
“When I started out, it was rough … we sat outside the sphere. We had to find different ways to share our work. Now, there’s 100 Māori fashion brands out there … and I think that’s phenomenal.”
Currently a PhD student in Pacific Studies at Waipapa Taumata Rau and host of her own podcast, Verner-Pula says her childhood was centred on a belief in community, and in keeping each other safe.
Today, she is using both her academic studies and her growing online presence to push for authentic inclusion.
“It unlocks a kind of daily creativity for me,” she says of social media.
Palu explains that her malu (traditional Samoan tattoo) is factored into her outfit decisions on a daily basis.
“The first thing I always think about when I’m getting dressed is my malu, how I want it to be seen or not be seen – so culture is like woven into my getting ready with me, you know?
“I feel like I’m just making stuff [on social media] for me, but it’s also for the younger me who was like – ‘who am I?’ And I think by doing that I’m being my most authentic Samoan proud self.”
How Kiri Nathan’s first NZFW show bucked tradition.The ways each creator’s history is woven into their current practice.How authentic cultural representation has shaped each creator’s success.
This is a Fashion Show is hosted by stylist and creative director Sammy Salsa, and brought to you by New Zealand Fashion Week in partnership with Viva.
Celebrate 25 years of New Zealand Fashion Week, on from August 17-22 at Auckland’s Shed 10. Tickets available here.
This is a Fashion Show is hosted by stylist and creative director Sammy Salsa, and brought to you by New Zealand Fashion Week in partnership with Viva.
Celebrate 25 years of New Zealand Fashion Week, August 17-22, 2026