My name is Isabelle (Izzie) Tui Taikato. I grew up in Nelson, New Zealand and had the best upbringing. I lived on a farm block surrounded by wonderful people who constantly shone positivity into my world. My Mum's parents lived on the same property as my family, so I was raised very much by them as well as my own parents.
In 2003 I started school at Mahana Primary which was about 3km from my home. The bus picked me up every morning, and not long after it was picking up my two younger brothers as well. Growing up at a school with 60 odd kids was great. Knowing everyone by name taught me respect and the lack of students rocketed my leadership skills from a young age. In 2012 I started attending Waimea College, which introduced me into a whole new world of how schooling was done. I had a timetabled day, and different teachers and classrooms for every subject which took a while to get used to. Waimea provided me with some of the best memories I have. I think this is where I truly started to gain a passion for design, especially in clothing.
I had always wanted to be a designer, ever since I was really young. I remember watching American teen films and seeing the main characters create garments to express themselves and embellish fabrics and items to show their individuality. This is really where my interest all started, but the art and design classes at Waimea showed me how much goes into the work and it sparked with me. I became obsessed with the process of scribbling down an idea from your head, altering it and changing elements to suit the need better, then transforming this into something that can be worn and shared in such a practical way. The more I sewed the better I got, and before long I was creating my own patterns for coats and ball gowns. I grew a huge passion for constructing garments and my Materials teacher at the time prompted me to do some research into designers that inspired me and what it was about their work that I loved. This introduced me to Zambesi, one of my favourite New Zealand fashion labels to date.
Zambesi was founded in 1979 by Elisabeth and Neville Findlay. I loved the whole tone of the brand. The sharp finishes, the modern aesthetic... Everything about label worked so well together to create a finished product that reflected both the designer and the consumer. This atmosphere within the work is what inspired me to make my first coat. It was a box cut design with colour blocked layers, reflecting my Zambesi inspiration and their modern tone of clothing design. The process for creating this was a gift in itself because I learnt so much. Making a pattern was not like anything I'd done before. I had by far underestimated the techniques and skills required to put together a pattern, and I have huge respect for people who do it for a living. Although it was challenging, I loved it! It introduced me into an aspect of clothing design I was not familiar with, and I feel so much more confident with it now.
Another source of my inspiration is my favourite artist, Leonid Afremov. He is a Russian-Isreli artist who explores vibrant colours and obvious brush stroke techniques. I think I love his work so much because I feel like it reflects my thoughts. His beautiful scenes and fierce colouring represent something that could only be experienced in the mind of the artist and viewer. This relates well to Cindy Sherman's collection 'Clowns' that I saw at the Wellington City Gallery last week. She wanted the backgrounds of her work to represent something that could only be seen in the viewers mind, something unnatural. Afremov's work is so raw, how the audience can see exactly where the brush has touched the canvas fascinates me.
I hope you have somewhat of an insight into who I am and what it is that makes me love what I do. I will continue to post about my inspirations and where I am up to with my design projects. I have created taiik. as a way to record my fashion thoughts as well as put forward university work, so hope to find the balance between the two.
 Model walks for Zambesi in New Zealand Fashion Show, Auckland, 2015. |
| Goodall, Fiona. "NZFW 2015: Zambesi - Runway". Zimbio, 27th Aug 2015, http://www.zimbio.com/pictures/2IZo6x0RLm-/NZFW+2015+Zambesi+Runway/6IrUtWfazHS |
 'Spirits by the Lake' by Leonid Afremov. One of my personal favourites. |
| 'Spirits by the Lake'. Afremov, Leonid. "Modern Wall Artt Oil Painting On Canvas By Leonid Afremov - Spirits By The Lake". Etsy, AfremovArtStudio, 11th Mar 2017, https://www.etsy.com/nz/listing/202968513/modern-wall-art-oil-painting-on-canvas?ref=shop_home_feat_2 |
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