Nadine Kam photos Hawaii Fashion Week founder and director Ralph Malani, second from left, with Cliff Duldulao, Ms. Polynesia Abby Resulta and event host Kea Ho.
The 3rd Annual Hawai‘i Fashion Week, founded and directed by Ralph Malani, and produced by Mt. Kalihi Productions to celebrate Polynesian style, took place Sept. 23 to 29, encompassing Malani's Mr. and Miss Polynesia pageant on the 23rd, followed by a free fashion show and competition Sept. 28 at Royal Hawaiian Center's Royal Grove, and a Tahitian Fashion Fete at Hard Rock Café on Sept. 29.
The free event at RHC featured fashion shows by Tali's Polynesia, Sina Thomsen, Uoleni Tupuola, and Kini Zamora, as well as a Young Designer Couture Competition judged by myself, MidWeek managing editor and style editor Yu Shing Ting, and the show's host model/actress Kea Ho, who took time out from working on bringing a Polynesian revue to Las Vegas.
At the end of the show, Kini walked away with the winning title, as well as cash and prizes from the center, Wolfgang's Steakhouse by Wolfgang Zwiener, and other event sponsors.
But when he took his bows with a model in one of his blue dresses for the winner's photo, I couldn't believe that dress had won. The hem was uneven and bunchy, so I asked Yu Shing if she voted for that dress, and when she said no for the same reasons, adding the blouse was so sheer we could see the model's bra, I said, "I guess Kea must have really liked it!"
We asked Kea and she said she hadn't voted for that dress either. We finally figured out that the model, Sade Toomalatai, for the winning designed had changed, so Kini simply walked out with a model who was still dressed.
So, for the record, we had Tiare put on the winning enemble for photographs.
Kini Zamora was the winner of Hawaii Fashion Week's inaugural Young Designer Couture Competition. Sade Toomalatai wears his winning design, with a flamenco-style ruffle down one side of the maxi skirt.
A series of fashion shows before the couture competition featured tropical designs for both men and women.
Maria Aitonean, a visitor from Seattle, originally from Romania, was so excited by the shows, she had to climb the stage and do her own runway walk after the models were gone. A passerby asked her what she was smoking.
Sina Thomsen with her couture competition model Malia McKee.
Designer Uoleni Tupuola with his model, Tesia Worley.
Designer Tali Goeas, right, with her model Sade Toomalatai.
Nadine Kam photos In addition to receiving $2,000 as winner of Island Edge's inaugural Design Star competition, Sina Thomsen received another $500 to donate to an organization of her choice, and she chose her alma mater, Honolulu Community College. She presented the check to her former instructor Joy Nagaue, and Gov.-elect Neil Abercrombie pledged to match that donation.
Governor-elect Neil Abercrombie made a commitment to the fashion industry Nov. 12 at Island Edge, at the finale of the boutique's search for Hawaii's next design star.
"I can assure you that this administration, an Abercrombie administration, is going to be behind island fashion 100 percent," he said shortly before announcing Sina Thomsen as the winner of the competition.
You can hear his remarks in the video, but it was nice to hear Abercrombie pledge his support for the industry, a seeming no-brainer but seriously overlooked by past administrations. Fashion is a multi-million dollar industry but over the past few decades we have lost a lot of talent to Los Angeles and New York for lack of infrastructure to support such businesses. People who have been in the industry a long time often remind me that fashion was once the isles' largest industry. The downside to manufacturing here is that all the raw materials must be imported, adding to the cost of doing business in Hawaii, but if there is enough business, everyone benefits, and Abercrombie recognizes that.
He added, "I fully intend to support, not just Island Edge, but anybody and everybody who's promoting island fashion, and the more that we can do and the more that I can do, I pledge to you, being able to see to it not only that we do our designing here, but that we do as much as possible as we can in support of manufacturing and sale, and seeing to it that by virtue that by the state supporting island designers, manufacturers and clothiers that we do our exports as well.
"We're going to take island fashion to new heights in terms of our exports we're not just going to be sending dollars out of the state, we're going to be bringing dollars into the state because fashion is going to be a centerpiece of our administration."
The finalists posed in front of their designs early in the evening. From left, Reise Kochi, Sina Thomsen and Randy Oribello.
Island Edge's competition started months ago, with submission of one design, photographs and sketches for collections. After narrowing the field to three designers, including HCC graduates Reise Kochi and Randy Oribello, the designs were displayed at Island Edge, and shoppers were allowed to cast their votes for their favorite design, leading to Thomsen's victory.
As the winner, Thomesen will have her hand-stamped halter dress manufactured under a label she gets to name, to be sold at Island Edge, along with prize money of $2,000 and a donation of $500 to the Honolulu Community College’s Fashion Technology Department.
Honorable mention menswear winner Randy Oribello, and honorable mention womenswear winner Reise Kochi each received $1,500.
Most importantly, it is nice to see a big business hold out a hand to young designers who have not received much support in the past. Island Edge is a retail concept by Pomare, Ltd., which does business as Hilo Hattie. The store is doing a great job in bringing young indie designers into the mainstream and hasn't been afraid of bringing in the unusual and quirky more often associated with street fairs and underground boutiques. That's refreshing because to any shopaholic, a lot of retail looks the same, and because images spread through multiple media channels are so repetitive, I think people want to see something different.
Among the unusual items carried at Island Edge, Cynthia Chee's purses fashioned from vinyl records and album covers.
Joleen Iwaniec models a Trina Turk dress carried at Island Edge along with apparel and accessories by such local designers as Roberta Oaks, 1979, and Sierra Dew. She posed for a photo with Pomaré CEO and President Donald Kang.
Gov.-elect Neil Abercrombie with Andy South, one of the judges for the design competition, new First Lady Nancy Caraway, and Amos Kotomori, who was presenting a trunk show of his Bijoux Tamayo (Bling Tamayo) jewelry line, named after his mother. One of his pieces is shown below.
Amos Kotomori's jewelry line comprises beads, stones and findings from his travels around the world over many years.
Nadine Kam photos and video stills A colorful marketplace was set up outside the showroom for browsing before and after the Hawaii Fashion Week-Polynesia Style fashion shows.
Ralph Malani continues to promote Hawaiian-Polynesian talent, moving from models, to performers, and now, fashion designers.
With Cliff Duldulao, he staged “Hawaii Fashion Week — Polynesia Style” on Sept. 5, creating a one-evening marketplace at Level 4 in the Royal Hawaiian Center, along with fashion shows featuring the designs of Estelle Green, Kalolo Samoa, Le Apia and Missing Polynesia, and Tiare Teiti.
There was plenty of entertainment as well, with performances by the Keoni Souza Trio, ‘Anelaikalani, the duo Mahea (Mahi Crabbe and Blayne Asing), and Anuhea Jenkins, who also did her part as a model.
