Designer Te Rina MacLeod has gone from picking apples to designing her dreams.
Te Rina MacLeod has never been afraid of hard work. Her first job at the age of 10 was the paper run.
For years, she picked apples in Hawke’s Bay – working both morning and
night shifts – yet she never lost sight of her dream to work in fashion.
On Friday, MacLeod opened her first bricks-and-mortar boutique studio, TAIEA, in Heretaunga / Hastings. The space showcases her own label alongside pieces from prestigious Māori-owned brands, including Kiri Nathan, Hawaiiki Pēpi, pounamu from Sands Carving Studio, Miria fragrances, and kete made by local weavers.
Until now, her working life has included retail roles at Flaxmere Pharmacy and Farmers, as well as seasons in the packhouse. Humble and grateful, she also knows she has finally arrived where she was always meant to be.
TAIEA, a new boutique in Hastings, co-founded by local designer Te Rina MacLeod. Photo / Simon Cartwright
In high school, MacLeod was customising and fraying jeans, excelling in sewing, and constantly fielding compliments about what she wore. That hasn’t changed.
For someone who is an introvert (and recently diagnosed with inattentive ADHD), it was her way of expressing how she was feeling.
Her grandparents, who raised her, are MacLeod’s biggest inspiration, saying the way they held themselves “spoke without words”.
“When I go back through photos of my nan, I see how happy she was in a beautiful dress. The Roimata cardigan [from the TAIEA collection] was inspired by my koroua (grandfather) in the style he wore in the comfort of his own home. I always marvelled at my grandparents’ style and class and wanted to recreate that with my own spin.”
Every piece in MacLeod’s collection tells a story. For example, the Roimata cardigan’s design is a tukutuku pattern, which she says speaks to the tears and anguish that many Māori have faced and will continue to face with cultural reclamation.
Te Rina and Dr Jeremy Tātare MacLeod with their sons, from left, Te Uaki Waho, 16, Mauru MacLeod, 11, and Mahikai MacLeod, four. Photo / Simon Cartwright
Standing beside her in this venture is husband, TAIEA co-founder and father of her three children, Dr Jeremy Tātere MacLeod. The couple (both Ngāti Kahungunu) come from a packhouse background and make a great team.
TAIEA officially launched online in March and they timed the opening of the studio to be during last week’s Toitū Te Reo festival of which Te Rina, 38 and Jeremy, 39, are co-founders through their sister business Kauwaka.
Like Toitū Te Reo, TAIEA celebrates te reo Māori and the design philosophy is linked heavily to its name, taiea, which means distinguished, honoured and elegant. For the couple, it’s about tino rangatiratanga (self-determination) with style, finesse, elegance and pride.
“Taiea is an old word that’s not in common vernacular and it really captures everything that this is about,” says Jeremy. “It also has no macrons, is short and relatively easy to pronounce.”
Kete by Hawke’s Bay weaver Chey Teruki, one of the items on sale at TAIEA, a new boutique in Hastings. Photo / Simon Cartwright
Their vision is for people to feel pride and a deep connection to their culture, identity, and language when wearing TAIEA. For some, it has already proved healing.
“We’ve been on this journey to bring taiea back into our own families and that feeling and pride that it gives us and how it can impact us. A rongoā (healing),” says Jeremy. “We both come from families that were part of generations of cultural and language loss. In my family, three generations and probably the same in Te Rina’s.
“When I see my own whānau, who carry serious cultural trauma and insecurities about their identity, rocking their TAIEA gears in town with te reo all over it, that embodies what TAIEA is about. I have a Pākehā auntie who’s in her mid-70s and people often ask her why she’s wearing this Māori apparel. People can use it as a way of promoting their identity and being proud.”
It also aligns beautifully with MacLeod’s elegant design aesthetic.
The names of the garments are also well researched, and throughout the couple have worked closely with respected te reo champion Sir Tīmoti Kāretu, whom they regard as their mentor and koroua.
Rāhui Papa, Sir Tīmoti Kāretu, Sir Selwyn Parata and Bayden Barber at the official opening of TAIEA on November 14. Photo / Simon Cartwright
The 88-year-old scholar has had input into some of the garments’ slogans and has also modelled pieces from TAIEA’s Kauwaka collection.
Every TAIEA range is also strictly limited, as the couple don’t believe in mass production and will be crafting unique designs in limited quantities. The new Kōanga (spring) collection is available for people to register their interest by signing up to be notified when garments are ready for purchase.
MacLeod is currently working with cotton, wool, cashmere and recycled polyester.
During the development of the brand, MacLeod visited China to meet with their manufacturing partners and to ensure that the fibres they use fit the luxury profile of their garments at a price that makes them accessible.
Kiri Nathan dress and jacket accessorised by ponamu from Sands Carving Studio. Photo / Simon Cartwright
With TAIEA, Te Rina and Jeremy also want to lift up others the same way that people have uplifted and believed in them and have opened expressions of interest to take a delegation to the Canton Fair in Guangzhou, China, in April next year. To date, they’ve received 74.
“We have a duty and responsibility to give back to our community and helping people get across there is our way of sharing the love,” says Jeremy.
Te Rina says TAIEA is a welcoming space for all.
“When people come into the shop, we want to take a journey with them and them to come on a journey with us,” she says. “It’s a place for Pākehā and Māori who are coming together into this home space. We want people to feel uplifted and feel that they can connect regardless of their cultural background.”
More on local fashion
From special anniversaries to movements in local industry.