WILLIAM MABA BRAY DEBUTES HIS MOTU KOITABU HERITAGE AT THE NGCB PARADISE RUNWAY 2023
Participating as a designer for the first time in the upcoming NGCB Paradise Runway hosted by PNG Fashion Week in September, William Maba Bray has come a long way since being gifted with a sewing machine at the age of eight by his grandmother.
Today, the 27 year-old sews and designs weddings dresses, blazers, men's wear and any garments as requested by his customers who mainly find him on his Facebook page called Maba’s Modern Pacific Wear.
William is the only male amongst 15 other female designers who will be participating in the upcoming NGCB Paradise Runway in September where a K10, 000 prize money is on offer for the best designer.
It hasn’t been an easy journey for the male designer who specializes in creating wedding dresses. He has since received so many criticisim for his love for sewing.
“Yes I’ve been told in my face that what I’m doing is for females. At first that made me scared to step out but when I started to network and connect with people, I found out that there are actually males in this industry too.”
William never made it through Grade eight and so as a teen he started off by selling his garments on the streets of Port Moresby so that he could help both his parents and his siblings.
“In my family, I’m the breadwinner and I support both my parents and my two younger siblings," he said.
In 2010, William’s creation gained attention when he sewed a complicated beautiful piece of wedding dress for a friend.
“That’s where people started seeing my gowns and then soon after, I started getting requests for me to do their gowns (dresses)."
After years of selling garments through his friends and church groups, William decided to create his Facebook page in 2021, where he was able to gain followers and began to seriously sew and sell to his customers.
“For me, I live in a settlement and for customers to reach me, it’s a bit difficult and looking for a place outside is also expensive and so I mostly take pictures of my work and put it online for customers to reach me.“
“People have been following me since and that is my market place,” said the young aspiring designer.
Today William does most of his work in his home at six mile, where he sometimes gets help from family and friends but wanting to stay true to his art and style, William does most of his own printings and sewing.
William’s specialty lies in wedding gowns and layered dresses of which he is happy to bring some of the inspiration onto the coming runway.
"Wedding gowns especially are very complicated. I don't want people to copy my style so I love the challenge this presents. For my gowns I can create three to seven layers of dresses."
For wedding gowns, William discusses the budget with his clients and helps them choose the material they wish to purchase.
"I mostly buy from Tango where there's a variety. It's expensive but I have no choice because we don't produce fabrics," he said, adding that at times when the stock is out they have to wait or check other shops.
William has helped so many clients because he makes it’s more affordable for clients to purchase gowns locally at a suitable budget as opposed to a costly wedding gown brought in from overseas.
At times the young talented designer goes online to watch YouTube videos to get inspiration for his wedding dresses but being naturally gifted, he is able see patterns and remember them afterwards.
“When people ask, how do you know this pattern and how do you know how to make one, for me I just know.”
Williams designs are inspired from his Motu-Koitabuan revareva tattoo designs, while others are a unique combination of designs he gets from online.
It is no surprise that William is preparing to showcase his Motu-Koitabuan tattoo inspired designs in the upcoming runway with the theme color of gold and yellow.
"I'm really preparing myself to give my best because the next best thing from this runway is the international platform," said William.
"The black color represents the black night, the stars and the moon and their reflections on the sea and so all garments are designed to the shape of these natural setting.”
"The yellow represents the rising of the sun and it's setting in the sea. All my PNG Fashion garments are created representing the sun, the waves, the sea, the moon and the night.
“I cannot wait for this big day," said William.
"You know the other thing is about making the Motuan people proud. Knowing that I’m the only male on this runway show is a bit nerve wrecking for me but I’m glad because this has been a long journey for me," he said with tears.
The young independent, entrepeneur loves what he is doing so much that although he's received opportunities to work for a bigger company, he has said no to many.
"Im more comfortable at home as that’s where I express myself best. And also I don't want to be bossed around," he grins.
To the male tailors, William says although there will be a lot of criticisms, tailor-made clothes by males are often unique and that men shouldn't hold back from stepping out.
William hopes to show everyone that his story as a male designer matters and that men too can create beautiful garments whether it is a dress, a gown or a suit.
William first showcased his dresses in 2019 through a runway organized by Sylvia Pascoe at Taurama.
For the upcoming runway, William says he is so happy and proud to be part of one of the biggest fashion runways in PNG.
"I always get criticism from people and this runway, it’s a big platform for me... most people wear my garments and now I want to step out and tell people that I'm the face behind these garments. I want them to see my creations and my story.”
"I think that is worth more than winning the money itself," William concludes with a smile.
