Mānawatia a Matariki. The Māori new year is the perfect time to reimagine your style.

How did you celebrate Matariki this year? I hope you had a fabulous time with your family and friends and got the chance to remember the past, give thanks for the present, and look ahead with a sense of adventure and positivity.

Now’s a great time to take stock of what matters most to us so we can create a life that truly reflects us.

Our fashion choices are a great place to start. How do you decide what clothes to buy and which brands or designers you will support?

I’ve been a personal stylist and creative entrepreneur for 13 years now. Since day one I’ve always gone against the grain when it comes to fashion.

When I think about style, it’s never about hopping on the latest trend or falling victim to fast fashion. Fashion is fabulous when it’s about you, your community, and looking after our planet.

 

Fashion for you.

I fell in love with fashion and personal styling because it helps me to live and share my core values every day.

These are to:

• Believe in positivity.
• Be true to yourself.
• Embrace individuality.
• Be passionate and determined.
• Strive to learn something new each day.
• Push yourself to be adventurous and let your creativity go wild.

As a personal stylist, when I talk to you about clothes, I want them to be a true reflection of who you are and what matters to you. What do you love? What lights you up? What clothes help you feel confident, creative and fabulous?

I’m committed to providing a safe, welcoming and positive styling experience, as I know it’s your personal space. It might be your first time working with a personal stylist – more than anything I want you to feel empowered.   

Based on what you desire from the experience, I can either advise you on specific looks that will suit you or offer guidelines on what works well. Fashion is a chance to express who you are – your quirks, personality, and love for certain colours, prints and materials – not about following what everyone else is doing. When I work with you, you’ll notice I like to wear vintage, as the worst thing for me is to wear the same as everybody else!

I also want to help you embrace your body type and skin tone, while accentuating your gorgeous natural features.

Fashion for your community.

It’s an honour to work closely with the Pacific fashion community – with all of its exciting and emerging talent. Elevating the amazing work Pasifika designers, models and stylists are doing in the fashion industry fills me with joy.

If you have a special occasion coming up – and you want to look and feel your best – I can help you get a beautifully designed and made outfit from one of our country’s many talented Pasifika designers.

I’ll consider every detail of your look, from your clothes to your hair, makeup, accessories and shoes so you can look and feel amazing.

As well as growing your confidence, I want to help grow the opportunities for the Pacific fashion community. When you work with me, you play a part in that.

 

Fashion for our planet.

I’m not here to judge – there’s a reason why fast, cheap fashion is such a popular choice, especially with the rising cost of living.

But fast fashion is destructive to our industry and planet. It’s bad news for workers with terrible conditions, local businesses who can’t compete, and for the planet when so much discarded clothing ends up in landfill. It’s bad for you too – you’ll end up buying more because these items are more likely to wear out quickly. What’s more, everyone ends up looking the same, as there’s little room for artistic self-expression with mass produced garments.

It’s important to increase awareness of the growing impact of fast fashion. We need to slow it all down and make thoughtful decisions. Let’s stop and think about how our clothes are designed and made, so we can make more informed buying decisions.   

How do we do this?

Firstly, I will consider the clothes you already have in your wardrobe and come up with some fresh, exciting styling options, so you don’t have to buy new every time.

If you are planning your outfit for a special occasion, want to buy new, and you have the budget, I’ll encourage you to buy custom pieces from local designers – that way you know exactly where your clothes come from.  

Lastly, if you no longer wear certain items, I can help you declutter thoughtfully – quality, preloved garments can be donated to the charity, Dressed In Confidence’s ‘Walk in Wardrobe’ – so your clothing finds a new home and is loved for longer.

Fashion should make us feel good. If we each take responsibility for the clothes we buy and wear, what we do with them when we declutter, and support local, sustainable, or pre-loved fashion, I know we can make a real positive impact.

Ready to unleash a more fabulous you?

I’m here to provide life-changing experiences that transform your style and reflect your true inner self.

My variety of personal styling services include:

• Colour consultation
• Wardrobe assessments
• Personal shopping
• Makeovers

Please book a free 30-minute online discovery call and let’s chat about your personal styling dreams and how we can make them a reality together.

(Guest blogger Katie Rickson)