The Wearing Fiji 2021 fashion project student designer mentorship workshop began yesterday.

Robert Verebasaga facilitated the first session at Weta Coffee Shop, Suva.

He also designed the programme’s seven weeks curriculum.

Wearing Fiji co-founder Samson Lee, said: “The students will undergo a 10 week (seven classroom and three weeks production) programme that will include theory/technical knowledge and one on one mentoring with their assigned mentor. There are 14 student designers of which nine are females and five are males.”

Mr Lee said the next sessions would be held at the New Zealand High Commissioner’s residence.

At the end of the 10-week programme each student will produce garments under the mentorship of our designers to be a part of a student designer capsule collection which will show at the Wearing Fiji Fashion Show at the Grand Pacific Hotel (GPH).

The main focus for the fashion project was on fashion mentoring and education by connecting aspiring student designers with established designers in Fiji.

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic it has changed how we do business and we’ve had to adapt.

Last year, the inaugural Wearing Fiji Fashion Project provided a platform for the designers to showcase their collections while mentoring six young aspiring designers from high schools and tertiary over a one-month period.

Some of the designers now have their stock at the dedicated Wearing Fiji Boutique on Butt St and from their own respective shops and online platforms.

The co-founders of this show are stimulating business for our fashion industry and creating spaces to exchange fashion knowledge.

Feedback: maraia.vula@fijisun.com.fj