Jeanine Clarkin is a pioneer of Māori fashion in Aotearoa, having started her eponymous label over 27 years ago. Jeanine's design story is one where success and integrity have been woven together to create a design history and practice that encompasses Haute Couture to Slow Fashion. 

 

Jeanine has shown collections in New Zealand and internationally and continues to champion indigenous design both at home and abroad. 

 

Jeanine draws her design inspiration from the conceptual body of the Wharenui, Whare Tinana (body), Wairua (spirit), Mauri (life force) and Te Taiao (environment)  and how these are held together in balance. She incorporates patterns which originate from Tukutuku, and through  her creative practice continues the tradition of Māori women’s fibre art. 

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Her commitment to sustainable fashion is reflected throughout her work and notably her collections focused on repurposing vintage, fine woollen textiles embody this ethos and provide the medium for her exploration of colonization and the exchange of Māori lands for blankets.

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