Venue: Novotel Hotel
Director Fiji Fashion Week, Ms Ellen Whippy-Knight;
Invited Guests;
Ladies and Gentlemen.
Bula vinaka and a very good evening to you all.
It is indeed a pleasure to be here to officiate at the closing of Fiji Fashion Week’s 10th Anniversary, with this evening’s event – the Gold Couture Show.
Ladies and Gentlemen
I have been informed that the Gold Couture Show will be an exquisite event highlighting the successful journey, the best of our local designers have taken to arrive at, what will be comparable to the international. I am sure this journey has not been a walk in the park for them and despite all odds, they have continued to do what they do best – designing. So please ladies and gentlemen, a round of applause to our hard working local designers.
Ladies and Gentlemen
For the last 10 years, Fiji Fashion Week has established itself as an important event in the Fijian fashion calendar and provided a platform for designers to grow and market their brand. Fiji clearly punches above its weight when it comes to creativity.
Despite containing less than 0.012 per cent of the world’s population, Fiji has created a brand that is synonymous with quality, high standards, and exclusivity associated with our pristine environment – which definitely includes our fashion industry.
In fashion, as well as culture, innovation, and creativity, we enjoy a unique advantage. Fiji does not currently have the ability to mass produce like large Asian manufacturers, but what we did was re-invent our textile and clothing industry to produce niche, high-end and now designer garments.
The fashion industry is a multi-billion dollar business that employs people all over the world. In Fiji, stakeholders have stimulated and created employment by expanding the industry through fashion-related small and medium enterprises.
Other industries such as beauty care, bloggers and fashion photographers, synergise closely with the fashion industry and the growth of the industry has led to various new areas of activities development in Fiji – which was never thought of previously.
The Fijian fashion industry has huge potential to become a very successful industry. For this to happen, all stakeholders will need to work together with a common objective and Government will provide the necessary support to make this industry grow.
In fact, under the Fijian Made-Buy Fijian Campaign we have a logo dedicated to our designers which is, Fijian Designed. The Fijian Made-Buy Fijian Campaign currently has a total of 322 licensed Fijian Made companies on board, with 1593 diverse products and I am proud to announce that 7 companies have been awarded with the Fijian Designed emblem for 15 products. Some of the products include and are not limited to solar panel designing, software designing, canvas painting and textile designing to name a few.
Therefore, as the Minister responsible for the campaign, I am putting a challenge to all the designers here tonight to acquire the logo, to take ownership of the logo and make it grow. This is the opportunity be part of the “Fiji” brand, and to market and promote your designs and creations under the successful and recognised banner of Fijian Designed.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
This evening’s theme – Gold Couture Wear cannot be thought of without recognizing the importance of fashion to the tourism industry. The Fijian Government is targeting new markets in the Southeast Asia region – visitors from this region are both high spenders and interested in only high-end designer products.
We want tourists in Fiji to buy Fijian designs so the Fijian clothing and fashion industry needs to think big and make our Fijian designs better than well-known high street brands.
We have a growing cottage industry as designers are creating their designs from their homes and selling on-line, at the same time supplying them to boutiques and department stores.
It is encouraging to see that our students are actively participating in designing and this year I have been informed that the number of student designers has increased from 7 to 52 this year. This is truly encouraging and promising and I must thank the organisers of the Fiji Fashion Week for getting our students involved. One day, we will have our own Donatello Versace, Calvin Klein, Gabrielle “Coco” Bonheur Chanel and Ralph Lauren.
And hopefully one day, one of our aspiring student designers would get all our Members of Parliament and Ministers get measured up and proudly wear Fijian design and be the next best dressed person to the hippiest, happiest and the best dressed person in Fiji – our Honorable Prime Minister.
Furthermore ladies and gentlemen, I am proud to announce that our very own local designers such as Samson Lee, Moira Solvalu, Rachael Fairfax and Robert Kennedy who have recently expanded their businesses and now operate a boutique called ‘House of Designs’.
However, we cannot rest on our laurels by just creating a market in Fiji, it is important that we continue to showcase the ‘Best of Fiji’ internationally in markets like Australia and elsewhere – as the fashion industry requires quick turnaround.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I strongly believe that with the right attitude, right partnerships and the right drive, Fijian fashion will undoubtedly have a very strong and vibrant future.
With those words, Ladies and Gentlemen, I wish you well for the event and have an enjoyable evening.
Thank you, Vinaka Vakalevu.