Get ready for a night of glitz and glamour as the 18th Vodafone Fiji Fashion Week 2025 brings together up-and-coming Fijian fashion designers with designers from Australia and even Papua New Guinea.
FJFW Executive Director Ellen Whippy-Knight says tonight’s show will feature 4 of the 7 designers who recently showcased in an industry-only event in Sydney — thanks to a $210,000 grant from the European Union.
These designers include Jerry Ligalevu, Shane Laboriel, Nicholas Kama, Hilda Mondo, and Ledua Daurewa.
She says this allowed them to bring two fashion educators from London - Lucy Jones and Paul Ryder.
Whippy-Knight says they have transformed how these designers approach their craft.
She says their work now reflects modern aesthetics and a more refined market approach.
Other Fijian designers featured tonight include Cynthia Cebujano, Eve East Tannga, and artist Lambert Ho, while Australian designers Tia Semi, Selina Talakuli, and Tiana Vono, along with Christiane Wainessi from New Caledonia and Florence Kamel from Papua New Guinea, will also strut their stuff.
The show will be opened by Tia Semi who has cerebral palsy, epilepsy, and other intellectual disabilities.
Whippy-Knight says she is half Samoan, half Australian, and everything in her collection is hand-printed and inspired by her Polynesian heritage.
The Executive Director says Fiji Fashion Week usually reserves the opening and closing shows for local designers unless it’s a major international brand but they made an exception for Semi to open the show because she truly represents the spirit of inclusivity and creativity.
She further says Fiji Fashion Week started as a platform for local designers, but they later opened it up to international participants — not just for diversity, but to provide benchmarks for local talent.
Whippy-Knight says most overseas designers are technically trained, while many Fijian designers have raw talent and learn through workshops.
Sydney-based international photographer Jackie Turner, renowned fashion photographer Miles Kalus, also from Sydney, and Patty Huntington — who writes for Harper’s Bazaar, represents Women’s Wear Daily, and hosts a monthly fashion programme on ABC — will also be part of the show.
DJ Lambie from Sydney is also here to bring the vibe to Fiji Fashion Week after-party.
Indigenous Canadian jewellery designer, Helen Oro will also be featuring her designs. Whippy-Knight says Oro received a lot a attention after being part of Fiji Fashion Week where Marvel Studios once did a photoshoot with one of her pieces and following her second show here, Oro also won an Indigenous Artistry Award at a ceremony in Toronto.
Fiji Fashion Week’s first show starts at 6pm at the Vodafone Arena this evening.
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