KAUPAPA / ABOUT

TE KAUPAPA O MANAAKI / ABOUT MANAAKI

TE HAPORI / THE COMMUNITY

I waihangatia a MANAAKI e Kat Tua (Ngāti Kahu ki Whangaroa, Ngāti Raukawa) hei ara hoki atu ki tōna iho taketake. Pērā i te tokomaha o te reanga Māori i tipu ake ki Aotearoa, i whakatipuria ia ki wāhi kāore i te ao Māori tuku iho, ā, nā konā ka heke te mōhiotanga o te ahurea me te reo. I te whakarewatanga o MANAAKI, ko tana whāinga he hono anō i te kākahu Māori tuku iho ki te kākahu o ia rā, ā, he hono anō i te ao Māori me te ao tauiwi.

I kōwhiria ā-ringa a Kat hei wāhanga o te hōtaka MR PORTER FUTURES i te tau 2021, i toa mai i waenga i te neke atu i te kotahi mano ngā tono mai i te ao whānui. Mai i te mutunga o taua hōtaka, kua noho a MR PORTER hei kaihoko matua mō MANAAKI.

MANAAKI was created by Kat Tua (Ngāti Kahu Ki Whangaroa, Ngāti Raukawa) as a way to reconnect with her heritage. Like many Māori of her generation who grew up in Aotearoa, she was raised away from a traditional Māori setting and with that came a loss of culture and language. In launching MANAAKI, she sought to bridge the gap between traditional Māori clothing and contemporary daywear, and in turn to bridge the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous cultures.

Kat was hand-selected as part of the MR PORTER FUTURES programme in 2021, winning from more than 1,000 applications around the world. MR PORTER has been a key stockist for MANAAKI since the program ended.

TE KŌRERO / THE STORY

Ka whakaaweawehia ngā whakaaro auaha o Kat e ngā mahi toi Māori, e te raranga, me te pūrākau. Ka whakamahi ia i āna kohinga hei tūāpapa wānanga i ngā kaupapa pāpori, tōrangapū hoki o ngā nekehanga ahurei o mua, o nāianei hoki. Ka kitea ēnei kaupapa i roto i āna tānga ā-ringa, āna whakairoiro me te miro kākahu. Nā tana tino aroha ki te tīni kākahu denim, ka hua ake ngā rārangi o MANAAKI he kākahu māhorahora, hihiri, whai tikanga hoki.

Kat draws inspiration from Māori art, weaving and storytelling, and uses her collections to explore social and political subcultural movements both past and present. These themes appear in her hand-drawn prints, graphics and knitwear. Combined with her love of denim, MANAAKI ranges are casual, spirited and meaningful.

TE WHENUA / THE LAND

Ko te tikanga o te kupu manaaki i te reo Pākehā, he tiaki, he āwhina, he whakamana hoki kia toitū mō ngā reanga kei te heke mai. Ko ngā kākahu o MANAAKI i hangaia kia tiakina, kia tukua anō ki ngā ringa o muri. I hangaia ēnei mea me te aro nui ki te taiao, mā te mahi ngātahi me ngā kaihanga matatika me ngā rauemi toitū puta noa i te ao. E waru tekau mā iwa ōrau o ngā hua o MANAAKI he muka māori, ā, ka tino ngarongaro ki te whenua i tōna wā.

MANAAKI, when translated into English, means to cherish and sustain for future generations. MANAAKI clothing is designed to be cherished and passed down. It is made with the earth in mind, in collaboration with ethical makers and sustainable sources from around the world. Ninety percent of the MANAAKI products are made with natural fibres that will biodegrade into the earth.