industry

Fiji's growing fashion industry

From Sue Wendt

The aim of any growing fashion in dustry is to develop its own easily distinguished character and style—and through the efforts of artist-designer Cherie Whiteside, Fiji is doing just that.

Fiji has perhaps half-a-dozen designers with talent, but Mrs. Whiteside’s fast expanding business, Tiki Togs, is the best-known centre for Islands’ fashions outside Hawaii.

She has perfected new methods of hand screen printing, and Tiki-prints— made into mini-shifts, long shifts, patio dresses and bikinis—are gaining a big reputation in fashion circles.

She showed some of her latest crea tions for the benefit of PIM. The models aren’t professionals but, like the clothes, they could hold their own with most over seas’ competition.

In the top picture, the Fiji Visitors Bureau office in Suva provided a suitably artistic background for Agnes Morris, when she modelled this simply-styled bra dress, made from lime green and royal blue patterned sailcloth.

At left, Andra Whiteside enjoyed modelling these vivid black and yellow patio pyjamas. Made from a silk textured imported cotton, they feature wide pants and a poncho-inspired top with spectacular batwing sleeves. They’re a departure from the myriad flowered muu-muus seen on night-time occasions in Fiji.— Photos : Bal Ram.