MAMo returns | News, Sports, Jobs
Maui designer Anna Kahalekulu returns for the fifth time to this year’s MAMo at the MACC:Wearable Art Show: “Sometimes the way a woman is carrying herself catches my eye first, and then Irealize she’s wearing Kulua — and that’s the best feeling.” -- Photo courtesy Maui Arts &Cultural Center
As the Irish poet/playwright Oscar Wilde so drolly wrote, “One should either be a work of art, or wear a work of art.” If you adhere to the first part of that sentiment, you are on your own, best wishes to you and bless your heart; if you would rather wear a work of art, you are in the right place at the right time.
This year’s MAMo Wearable Art Show returns at 7:30 p.m. Saturday to the Yokouchi Pavilion at the Maui Arts &Cultural Center in Kahului, hosted by returning emcees Kumu Hula Victoria Holt Takamine and Robert Cazimero. Overflowing with impeccable design and creative use of natural fibers such as lauhala and other weavable leaves, feathers and shells used as accents and jewelry, this showcase highlights the work of Hawaiian fashion designers not just in the cut and design of the clothing, but in the Hawaiian-inspired motifs that grace the fabrics of which the clothing is made.
When Takamine, of halau Pua Ali’i ‘Ilima, formed Oahu-based non-profit PA’I Foundation, her mission was to honor and conserve Hawaiian culture and art for future generations. Takamine saw that many Native Hawaiian artists and cultural practitioners were unable to earn a living from their art, so she stepped in with a plan. Allying with the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum in Honolulu, Takamine organized a month-long celebration each spring called Maoli Arts Month, which highlighted Native Hawaiian artists and cultural practitioners.
In 2015, this celebration was rebranded to Maoli Arts Movement, or MAMo. A highlight of MAMo is its Wearable Art Show, now in its fifth year on Maui at the MACC.
This year’s show features returning designers Anna Kahalekulu of Kulua Designs from Maui and Kanoelani Davis of PoMahina Designs from Molokai.
Designs from 2017 Maui MAMo: Women’s and menswear from Kanoelani Davis of PoMahina Designs -- Photo courtesy Maui Arts &Cultural Center
“I’ve been really fortunate to be a part of the MAMo Wearable Art Show movement for the past five years,” Kahalekulu gratefully acknowledged. “I started pretty fresh from the (University of Hawaii Maui College) Fashion Technology program, and had a small side business mostly doing alterations, along with (raising) a 3-month-old baby that first year.
“I’ve gone from doing mostly custom to developing a ready-to-wear brand. Now I’m focused on developing a team to help support the growth and keep it all local.”
Davis noted that “MAMo . . . paved the way for us to share contemporary and traditional clothing and art that the #modernmaoli (PoMahina motto) can utilize to stay abreast, to stay activated and to inspire to strive above all adversities.”
Also returning to Maui’s MAMo Wearable Art Show this year are Kawika Lum-Nelmida of Kawika Lum Designs, a preeminent feather artist who adds humu papa, a style of feather-lei making, to his contemporary fashion designs; Ari South, “Project Runway” top-three finalist in 2010, who designs with a refined, elegant look; and Kehaulani Nielson of Kahulale’a, known for her Hawaiian resortwear style.
“I grew up in Puna on Hawaii Island. My dad was a police officer and my mom was a stay-at-home mom. There were no Native Hawaiian designers in my immediate circle, no one to mentor or aspire to,” noted Nielson. “My mom put me in everything you could imagine — two of which were sewing classes and hula.
Design from 2017 Maui MAMo: Feather-enhanced evening wear by Kawika Lum Designs -- Photo courtesy Maui Arts &Cultural Center
“I think it’s important to show your work, your progress; it challenges you to keep creating and to keep moving forward. MAMo provides all of us a venue to do so, but most importantly, it provides a space where local and Native Hawaiian designers can be seen and celebrated, hopefully inspiring a future generation of creatives.”
New to the Maui show is Micah Kamohoali’i, kumu hula of halau Na Kipu’upu’u from Waimea on Hawaii island and founder/owner of Dezigns by Kamohoali’i. He is an established artist known for lei making, feather work, photography, printing, paintings, film production, and he was honored by the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation of Vancouver, Wash., for the work he has done in reviving the traditional practice of Hawaiian kapa.
“Ihave been designing modern fashion for about 15 years,” explained Kamohoali’i. “I come from a kapa family; my family members on my father’s side, as far back as it goes, were kapa/barkcloth crafters.”
His family members worked at Ulumau village on Oahu and helped to organize the kapa exhibit at Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum in Honolulu.
“Ihave always pounded kapa for utilitarian or practical and functional purposes, but the need to create more led me into the ways of fashion,” continued Kamohoali’i. “These designs became the foundation of my clothing designs . . . Dezigns by Kamohoali’i has been able to launch a full-scale clothing line this year and it has been a whirlwind of busy since.”
Design from 2017 Maui MAMo: Ari South designs -- Photo courtesy Maui Arts &Cultural Center
Also new to MAMo is Keoua Nelson of iHala, which features one-of-a-kind handmade Hawaiian lauhala pieces. According to the bio on iHala.com, Nelson learned to prepare the lauhala leaves from his grandmother, but it wasn’t until he was in his 30s that he began to “feel” his kupuna, or ancestors, directing him and sharing their knowledge and skills with him.
As Nelson mentions on his website:“While important to be rooted in tradition, I also feel that the practices have become complacent for the sake of maintaining traditions. To draw a greater interest in the young, the practice must evolve in order for the craft to survive.” This he does by pushing the boundaries of traditional, timeless styles.
Displaying a wide array of styles, influences and philosophies, the MAMo Wearable Art Show covers the rainbow-spectrum of Hawaii’s people. The motifs, which are such an integral part of Hawaiian culture, come from nature and are displayed visually in kapa and weaving, in weaponry and tools, and in tattoo and adornment.
As Takamine points out, “We realized that art is not just what we frame and put on a wall. It’s the culture, principles and values that are at the core of who we are, that get transferred to the things that we wear.”
“MAMo was founded to provide a spotlight for Native Hawaiian artists in the community,”concluded Kahalekulu.“I think it’s particularly important because these artists are in tune with the heart of Hawaii, and their work is essential to keeping Hawaii the special place that it is.”
Design from 2017 Maui MAMo: Ari South designs -- Photo courtesy Maui Arts &Cultural Center
_______________
2018 MAMo at the MACC
Wearable Art Show
7:30 p.m. Saturday
Gates open at 5:30 p.m.
Design from 2017 Maui MAMo: Hawaiian resortwear by Kehaulani Nielson of Kahulale‘a -- Photo courtesy Maui Arts &Cultural Center
Yokouchi Pavilion
Tickets:$35, 45 and $65/VIP
(VIPtickets include advance trunk show access, along with a meet-and-greet with the designers.)
For tickets, visit the MACCbox office, call 242-7469 or go online to www.mauiarts.org.
Design from 2017 Maui MAMo: Hawaiian resortwear by Kehaulani Nielson of Kahulale‘a -- Photo courtesy Maui Arts &Cultural Center
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