Papua New Guinea fashion was represented on the global stage in Russia at the BRICS+ Fashion Summit held from October 3 – 6 in Moscow.  

Over 180 countries were represented at the prestigious event.

The Fashion Summit culminated in the formation of the BRICS International Fashion Federation.

Representing PNG, Ms Philma Kelegai the Founder and Managing Director of PNG Fashion Week said it was such a great success to be part of the Federation.  

Fashion associations from more than 50 countries joined the BRICS International Fashion Federation.

It aims to establish new centers of influence, and strengthen international ties to improve the industry’s sustainability and provide emerging designers with a platform to grow.  

BRICS stands for Brazil, Russia, India China and South Africa.  
 
The BRICS+ Fashion Summit in Moscow provided industry leaders from manufacturing countries like China, India and Indonesia to share their experiences while others from Malaysia, Argentina and France discussed opportunities among participants.
 
The highlight of the Summit was the Heritage Exhibition where designers showcased their work.  
Fashion Week specialists spoke at this event discussing the unique challenges and opportunities that contributed to nation building.  

Speaking at the ‘Fashion from Afar’ Segment of the summit, Ms Kelegai promoted and marketed Papua New Guinea as a fashion tourism destination.

She said, “with our rich culture and heritage we are in a unique position to showcase fashion through the lens of a thousand tribes.”  

Fashion is a thriving business in PNG, a number of indigenous designers use local designs to create their unique style.  

Ms Kelegai added, ‘this is our strength and our fashion designers are our ambassadors, they will tell our story and the world wants to experience the final frontier of fashion.”

Papua New Guinea Fashion week is scheduled for September during the country’s 50th Independence anniversary in 2025.

Meanwhile on the other side of the Atlantic, two PNG designers, Denani Design’s  Elizabeth Omeri and Niugini Native’s Wandid Amini Korimbo returned this week after attending a fashion show in Utah, United States.  

Held from September 21 – 29, 2024 the event was hosted by Creative Pacific Foundation.  

The show held a panelist and workshop session where designers from the Pacific discussed their work.

The PNG Designers promoted two unique parts of PNG.  

Mrs Korimbo, spoke on culture and tradition while Ms Omeri launched her eco-printing collection and spoke about sustainable fashion.