10 YEARS OF FRIENDSHIP - THE STORY OF PNG FASHION WEEK AND FIJI FASHION WEEK
Papua New Guinea's leading fashion platform, PNG Fashion Week has entered into a new era of partnership with the renowned Fiji Fashion Week.
(L - R) Philma Kelegai, Managing Director, PNG Fashion Week, Ellen Whippy-Knight, Managing Director, Fiji Fashion Week and Tania Nugent, Media and Television Personality. Wesley House, Brisbane, 2014.
Managing Director of PNG Fashion Week, Miss Philma Kelegai said that while a relationship with the Pacific brand has been 10 years in the making, the partnership has leveled up.
Miss Kelegai said she first met Managing Director of Fiji Fashion Week Ellen Whippy-Knight when she hosted her first ever fashion show in Brisbane, Australia in 2014."I did not know Ellen Whippy-Knight personally, but I knew all about her and her work. I knew that if I wanted to be the best, I had to have her at the show. I tried to find her, contacting her team in Fiji until I finally got a hold of her."
"Ellen Whippy Knight is a formidable woman, and her work and influence is something to be in awe of. I didn't think she would have any time for me, I just thought I'd try to reach out, and to my surprise, she responded positively."
"Although she did not know me personally, she accepted my invitation and came over to Brisbane to be a part of the event and also assisted behind the scenes," Kelegai said.
Since accepting that first invite, PNG Fashion Week has had a strategic working relationship with Fiji Fashion Week allowing them to collaborate and co-create events over the years. In 2019, Ms. Whippy-Knight was invited by PNG Fashion Week to give the welcoming address at the “Awakening” at the Apec Haus in Port Moresby, this event was attended by Prime Minister James Marape.
Ellen Whippy-Knight, Managing Director, Fiji Fashion Week giving welcome address at APEC Haus, Port Moresby, 2019.
According to Miss Kelegai, the Managing Director of Fiji Fashion Week has been instrumental in shaping and guiding the PNG Fashion Week brand through collaborative efforts throughout the years.
This year, after 10 years of friendship, PNG Fashion Week is now taking that relationship to greater heights by attending the Fiji Fashion Week Show and being a part of the event.
It is hoped that through such collaborative efforts, there will be more room for growth and opportunities for both designers and models who play an important role in the fashion industry by transitioning to the FIji Fashion Week platform.
Miss Kelegai said, "We here at PNG Fashion Week are always looking for innovative and fresh ways of doing things in the fashion space and we try to be on par with international fashion standards and so our participation in the upcoming Fiji Fashion Week Show will go a long way in ensuring we keep on building our brand and pushing our brand to meeting international standards.
PNG Fashion Week has lined up a calendar of activities for 2024 and looks forward to delivering these events throughout the course of the year.