Page 42 - Fiji Traveller Issue 1

KuiViti: Promoting culture through clothes

Fashion designer and artist, Epeli Tuibeqa
knows how to make an entrance. Before the
start of his runway show, he performs an
opening dance–the elegant flow of his hands
mesmerising–before he takes a bow and
gives a cheeky grin to the crowd, making way
for his models.
The KuiViti designer is a triple threat. “I’m
a dancer, I used to sing with Pasifika Voices,
and I like learning new things,” he says.
So it’s hard to picture this dynamic
individual at a desk crunching numbers, but
Tuibeqa originally studied accountancy.
However his grandmother, who was
always creating something incredible with
her God-given talents, intrigued Tuibeqa too,
and would be the source of his creative flow.
Now Tuibeqa is keeping the memory of his
muse alive through his KuiViti prints.
He took an unconventional path into
fashion, competing as a contestant in what
was once Fiji’s premier pageant, the Hibiscus
Festival.
It opened up a new world, connecting him
with musicians, artists, and fashion designers.
In 2010, he returned to the festival, this time
as a fashion designer, dressing participants.
“When my contestant won that year, I was
approached to dress her for the Miss Pacific
Island Pageant—I was scared,” Tuibeqa
confesses.
While this challenge entailed many
sleepless nights, the sacrifices he made were
worth it.
“I got three months’ worth of marketing from
the pageant through the Queens, that people
would usually pay thousands of dollars for.
“When I went with Alisi Rabukawaqa to the
Miss Pacific Island Pageant in Samoa, I was
amazed at all the Pacific designs and how
proudly each girl was donning their country’s
prints,” Tuibeqa says.
“For evening party events here in Fiji,
the girls come in big ball gowns and party
dresses, but at the Pacific pageant, the
contestants rock up with their country’s
designer prints.”
The experience fuelled his passion for
proudly featuring iTaukei prints in his brand.
“My design mainly focuses on promoting

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