Koha - Māori Fashion Design 1986

Television (Full Length) – 1986

This episode of landmark te ao Māori current affairs programme Koha spotlights four Māori designers making waves in the mid 1980s. Hard working fashion designer Maria Scally expresses her belief that Māori designers have the potential to create successful businesses inspired by their indigenous style. Fabric print maker Matiu Chote has found success in pitching to the international tourist market. Designer Richard Bell prefers using natural fabrics in his work and enjoys expressing his Māori and Pacific identity through colourful prints. Scally, Chote and Bell all model their diverse outfits around Tāmaki Makarau.

There's an untapped market in Māori design and fashion, untapped. It should be really, really big I think, really big. Māori people have got a lot of taste and a lot of class and they should get out there and show it to the world.
– Designer Maria Scally encourages Māori fashion designers