‘From the moment I was gifted a Tivaevae I was enchanted’

​Kathrine Reid (Nikao) is leading a new generation of creative entrepreneurship in the Cook Islands.

While growing up in Auckland she was always intrigued by her father’s homeland of Rarotonga and after a decade of travelling and working around the world she made the journey back.

Not long after Reid was given her first Tivaevae – an experience that would change her life.

“From the moment I was gifted a Tivaevae I was enchanted. That’s when Mum and I decided we would make it our business to keep the art form alive.”

The pair went on to co-find Tivaevae Collectables with a showroom in Nikao. These days the business has a strong online following and a website as brightly sumptuous as the quilts they sell globally.

“Tivaevae is very sacred to the people of the Cook Islands, giving and receiving it is a sign of love, respect, honour and pride, marking important events in our lives like funerals and weddings.

“The word literally means ‘patches’, in reference to the pieces of material sewn together – though to translate the word directly to English risks losing its meaning and its poetry,” says Reid.

Tivaevae is a method of artistic quilting traditionally practised by Polynesian women. Although its origins are uncertain it’s likely linked to piecework styles introduced to the Cook Islands by European Missionaries and French nuns in the 1820s.

Traditional handmade Polynesian quilts take years to make by a group of women who are each assigned a different pattern to complete.

Reid has innovated new products that are hand cut and hand dyed just like traditional Tivaevae but with sewing methods and fabrics that make them machine washable – ready for modern life.

Alongside Tivaevae Reid has a line of Rito products such as hats and fans made from the young leaves of the coconut palm tree.

“Stepping into the lagoon on Rarotonga - I knew I had come home.

“It’s been such an exciting journey ever since.”