The 24 designers for the recent Rural Women’s Fashion Show have been praised by the Minister for Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation, Hon. Rosy Akbar.
The fashion show was put together by the Ministry of Women to commemorate the International Rural Women’s Day which is celebrated annually on the 15th of October. The event was also part of the National Women’s Expo that was held at the Vodafone Arena in Suva, last week.
The Rural Fashion Show was sponsored by the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism (MITT), Morris Hedstrom (MH), Courts Fiji Limited and Island Chill. The prizes for best designers included $500 in cash, MH shopping voucher and electrical sewing machines. A total of seven designers were chosen based on the creativity, quality and practicality of their designs.
Minister Akbar praised the emerging designers and assured them that the Ministry will continue to create similar opportunities in the future.
“It’s inspiring to see rural women showcasing their designing skills, the fashion show is a platform to bring out those hidden talents. This year’s Expo has enabled the women artisans to not only display their talents in terms of handicrafts and contemporary art but also display their creativity in terms of fashion designing.
“The Ministry will work towards organising similar fashion shows in the divisions at well. This is all part of the Ministry’s effort to increase its reach to rural women and create new opportunities to recognize their talents. It is so wonderful to see that these women designers have shown a beautiful collection of their traditional attires,” Minister Akbar said.
The event was also witnessed by Indonesian Minister for Women Empowerment and Child Protection, Professor-Dr Yohana Susana Yembise who was the guest of honor at this year’s Expo.
“The National Women’s Expo with the theme, “Connecting Women to Markets: Make it Happen,” is very useful for all the women, considering this activity is a place to exchange information, share experiences, best practices and stimulate creativity.
“In difficult times, it’s usually the women who actively take up the role of contributing toward her family’s income. The women are also required to have the creative power and innovation to create something that can be redeemed with money or other goods. All that has been shown through the National Women’s Expo in Fiji, it’s a great initiative to recognize and build women’s creativity and innovation,” Dr Yembise elaborated.
DEPTFO