‘Too good to be ignored’ Pacific Fusion Fashion Show marks 10 years of changing the runway

For a decade, the Pacific Fusion Fashion Show (PFFS) has been building a space where Pacific designers, models and stories can take centre stage without having to leave their culture at the door.

Now, as the Auckland-based showcase marks its 10th anniversary next week, founder Nora Swann says the platform has grown from an idea for a dedicated Pacific arm of New Zealand Fashion Week (NZFW) into a movement that has earned its place in the wider industry.

PFFS returns to Tāmaki Makaurau’s Shed 10 on 21 August as part of New Zealand Fashion Week.

Swann says the journey began because Pacific fashion needed a platform of its own.

“At the time, there wasn’t a platform that allowed Pacific stories to be told for the Pacific fashion community,” Swann said in an interview on Pacific Days.

“So we worked towards building the brand and building the trust from the community as well as the mainstream community.

Watch Nora Swann's full interview below.

“It's been a lot of hard work. It has paid off. I do take my role seriously with what I do and who I represent.”

For Swann, that responsibility has always meant putting culture at the centre of the work while creating opportunities for the next generation.

She says PFFS has been shaped by the knowledge of experienced fashion professionals and cultural values they bring to the industry.

“I think it really helps when my team and experts that we work with have extensive experience in fashion, because then everyone who comes through are learning from the best,” Swann says. “These experts also have strong cultural values, which is really important to me.

This year’s theme, Legacy - A heritage of strength, a future of promise, reflects that focus - honouring Pacific ancestors while creating space for new ideas and the next generation of Pasifika fashion.

Swann says PFFS faced logistical challenges during its early shows in Ōtara and Papatoetoe as well as funding gaps across the creative sector.

She later established the Dressed in Confidence programme to help Pasifika creatives build practical skills and move through mainstream industries while staying connected to who they are.

“I've always found that a lot of our people want to break and make it into mainstream fashion,” she says.

“But it's so important that we still hold our culture close to our hearts, because it's so easy to be strayed by mainstream ideologies, which conflict with who we are as Pacific people.”

Pacific Fusion Fashion Show 2026 models list. Photo/Facebook

Over the past decade, PFFS has built a reputation for its Pacific identity, high standards, and growing reach.

Swann says models who have also walked runways in Milan and New York have praised the platform.

She says a turning point came during the Covid-19 pandemic when PFFS continued despite the difficult conditions.

“We still went ahead and had a show during Covid when things were really tough and we were getting more opportunities.So I knew that people were watching us,” she says.

“Our confidence as a community was built, which allowed us to do what we do naturally in different spaces. It actually got to a stage where we were just too good to be ignored.”

The 2026 showcase will feature 52 models, mostly of Pasifika heritage, celebrating body diversity, alongside 14 designers. Six of which are international labels from across Polynesia, Melanesia, and Micronesia.

2026 Featured Designers

Ah Tua | Another Coyote | Dane Dagger | Fancy Nancy Designs | Haus of Bwagavi | Ivoha | NIQ_Atelier | Niue Creative Collective | Peni Taehia | Sacred Soul Apparel | The House of VA | Voice of Hope | Whitecliffe College

The Pacific Fusion Fashion Show will be held at Auckland’s Shed 10 on 21 August. Tickets are available through the PFFS website.