Pacific summer meets LA in KuiViti

Republished from The Fiji Times

SINKING under the weight of pressure has never been an option for Epeli Kuiviti but even the famed itaukei contemporary designer felt the damage of the pandemic.

When a year’s worth of bookings and anticipation of what was meant to be his busiest year dried up in March of 2020, Tuibeqa like every other business owner was devastated.

For the better part of the year, the designer who works under the Kuiviti Pacific label, struggled to hold onto his income. The unprecedented nature of the economic impact of the pandemic which manifested first in events cancelled due to global lockdowns, then raw materials becoming unavailable because of supply routes closing down, frightened even the Rewa native.

But after the initial depression and worry, Epeli got to work towards the end of 2020. By the time the April 2021 outbreak occurred, he had become resilient.

During the downtime at the height of COVID19, Epeli picked up any form of income from hosting online music concerts, to photography gigs and even helping other designers with social media marketing.

“I worked on my brand mostly and spent time seeing what works and what doesn’t and most of all fighting to stay relevant even in the midst of a pandemic,” he said.

“By watching international fashion shows I was able to learn from global industry predictions on the industry and by applying that to my creativity I was also making my predictions too. on the runway of course.”

That fashion research and development formed the basis for more collections, some of which have sold off the bat as others struggled through the second wave of the pandemic.

“Hopefully my predictions for what my clients will want to wear in the future will be received well at this year’s show. It is so exciting just to be able to have a chance to do something new and to also showcase what KuiViti has instore for 2022.”

The Kuiviti Spring/Summer 2022, a collection of pink and brown tones with a hint of green is “Pacific meets LA in the Summer ”, a reflection of Tuibeqa’s personal growth over the pandemic but also a showcase of his excitement.

“The pandemic took a lot of things from us and one of it is how creating and conceptualizing a collection makes me feel,” Tuibeqa said.

A break from his usual tradition, the collection does not have a name and that too is a reflection of the 34year old designer’s transition from his usual itaukei motif laden garments towards block colors and minimal prints.

Unsure how the audience will receive the collection, Tuibeqa says he has designed for the woman on the go and working girl who wants designerwear to work and party. Yet Kuiviti is eyeing the global travel market too.

“This is also for the traveller who wants a piece of home but also wants to blend in with her surroundings,” Tuibeqa said.

Inspired by his friends, “the kids of the 90s who were bold and daring and can rock any style. I mean, we brought back the bell bottom jeans in the 90s,” Epeli has not moved too far out of character because he says the new garments are for the “show stopper’.

Now an established presence in the Pacific fashion market, the Kuiviti label has enjoyed some international expansion in recent years with consistent sales in outlets in the United Kingdom and the United States of America. However, his collections released successfully during the pandemic has earned him consistent clients in Australia, New Zealand most recently in the United Arab Emirates.

“Im trying this initiative in Abu Dhabi out and maybe it will lead to a stockist for Kuiviti but I’d also love better recognition of other Pacific designers. Im excited and hopeful,” he said.

Not one to leave things to chance, Epeli couples vision with determination, perseverance and hardwork powered through each phase he says by the look of satisfaction on his clients faces and the success and adoration those customers throw on at Fiji Fashion Week shows.

“The glam but more importantly, the growth and seeing how my work is appreciated or not, pushes me to work hard at growing my brand. The opportunities are endless when your heart is in the right place,” he said.

In the meantime, Kuiviti is changing character and with that, its design style that Epeli hopes will translate into a wider client base.

“My personal style is simple. If I like it, I’ll wear it, regardless of whether its coming from the mens section, or the ladies or even the kids – yes that was a phase!”

“I design depending on what I feel my clients will want to wear in the future. I’m dressing the age group that I’m growing into and as I age, my clients age with me and their taste and style will also change so it’s important that I stay ahead of the trend,” he said.

“The KuiViti SS22 collection is a collaborative effort between me and my Production Manager, Jed Taylor who is also modelling it. We are excited to just be feeling the buzz again and are basking in the excitement of prepping for the show.”

Kuiviti is one of three big names closing the Fiji Fashion Week Virtual Show on November 26 alongside Sydney based Kristian Chase and Hupfeld Hoerder.