INTERVIEW & PHOTOGRAPHY David K Shields
Levi Smith at Red 11 wears OBSOLESCENCE Clothing 2025
For emerging Kiwi designer Vince Ropitini, his time spent in Melbourne was defined as much by endurance as it was by ambition, balancing the necessity of work with the persistence required to keep a creative practice alive. It’s a period that doesn’t announce itself loudly in his garments, but sits beneath them – felt in their discipline, their restraint, their insistence on being made at all. With that distance came a kind of clarity; not necessarily straightforward, but warranting a decision to come ‘home’ – and made somewhat more easily, due to the ongoing support of his whānau and community.
In the weeks leading into New Zealand Fashion Week 2026, our collective attention naturally turns to what will emerge on the runway. This year there are some inclusions which invite a different kind of anticipation – one that begins long before the lights come up, with Indigenous designers arriving from destinations afar collectively showing alongside local creators. Vince Ropitini’s debut presentation as a part of founder & CEO Kiri Nathan’s Kāhui Collective 2026 show, arrives not simply as the introduction of a promising new voice within this realm, but as the culmination of years spent balancing perseverance with possibility. Informed by whakapapa, shaped by the whenua of his upbringing, and refined through dedication and resilience – before his latest collection of garments step onto the runway, we spoke with Ropitini to explore the journey that brought him here, and the ideas, relationships and lived experiences that are woven into every piece.
Returning to Aotearoa marks a shift for him, though not a simplification. Supported now in a way that allows full attention to his craft, and shaped by his inclusion in The Kāhui Collective, Ropitini’s work carries both grounding and friction. What emerged in his work is an understanding; considered yet unrestrained, precise but with an undercurrent of disruption, a subtle punk energy that resists settling too neatly into expectation – it is work that speaks to where he comes from, but equally to the act of carving space within that inheritance.
In conversation with us, Ropitini reflects on what it means to return, to be supported, and to continue building something that exists both within and beyond himself.
DKS: When you think about the version of yourself in Melbourne compared to now in Aotearoa, what feels most altered – and what has remained completely intact?
VR: I feel more grounded. I have the time to slow down and think more, act more intentionally. I feel like I have been on the move ever since I left Taranaki 6 years ago, so being able to stop and think has really let me draw from these experiences and translate them through a creative output.
DKS: Did distance sharpen your understanding of home, or complicate it?
VR: In some ways, both. It allowed me to look back and view where I come from through a different lens. It also made me realise what I missed and needed most.
DKS: Coming home to the support of your whānau and community, how did that shift your sense of responsibility – to them, and to yourself?
VR: I am very fortunate to have a really strong support system and those around me always show unconditional love and encouragement. After years of study and sharing my goals and aspirations for the future, I owe it to them to take my ideas and share it with the world.
DKS: Does that kind of backing create a new kind of pressure, even if it’s rooted in love?
VR: A good pressure, I need it to continue to grow into the best version of myself.
DKS: What have you allowed yourself to explore now that time and space have opened up?
VR: I have really gone back to the basics by teaching myself more techniques of pattern drafting and construction, together with taking more time to read and research, sketching things I see in my day to day life. I love learning, therefore giving myself time to take in more information in turn means my design is filled with more depth.
DKS: Your work carries whakapapa – what does that mean in practice, beyond what people can see?
VR: I recently discovered this quote from Lorde which I think encapsulates my feeling towards carrying whakapapa through my design, in this case replacing the word experiences.
“Experiences exist only in you; you are sitting on a gold mine that no one can rob. Whatever that means to you, whatever that statement you were born to make is, I invite you to take a big breath and make it.”
DKS: Are there parts of your story that you choose not to translate into the garments?
VR: Of course, at my core I am a very reserved person so anything that I do share is carefully considered and thought through. Not everything needs to be made visible to be present.
DKS: How do you protect something that is deeply personal while still offering it to an audience?
VR: By being intentional with what I share and what I keep for myself.
DKS: In what ways does the land you grew up on continue to shape the work, even indirectly?
VR: Visually, it influences the way I view texture and form, similar to the way Ralph Hotere referenced land in a non-literal, contemporary depiction through his artworks. I constantly refer to the concepts of kaitiakitanga and tūrangwaewae to ensure my work is shaped by my connection to the whenua.
DKS: If someone unfamiliar with Aotearoa encountered your garments, what would you hope they feel before they understand anything intellectually?
VR: I would hope that anybody would be able to gather a sense of grounding and peace.
VR: I want my work to be able to dance back and forth between the two. Similarly to the way Sir Hirini Moko Mead describes Mātauranga Māori as having a past, present and future. My work is able to draw on the basket of knowledge from my ancestors, while looking towards the future, continuing to innovate and transform the way we live our lives today.
DKS: Do you see your work as preserving something, or transforming it?
DKS: There’s a subtle punk energy in the collection – where does that come from for you?
VR: I love music. I was introduced to punk early on through my father and his record collection, and now I continue to expand my taste and build my own. Music has always been another vessel for resistance through time, so its no surprise that music and fashion overlap in many ways. I look up to designers who successfully wandered between the two, notably Jun Takahashi, Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren.
DKS: Being now a part of The Kāhui Collective, how do you hold onto your own language within a collective framework?
VR: Being part of the Kāhui Collective has given me the opportunity to see other artists and creatives exist in a space curated for us. It’s not a competition of selling more than the person on the rack next to you, it’s coming together to support a kaupapa bigger than us. We all bring our own unique voices and experiences to the space.
DKS: Has that environment clarified your direction, or challenged it?
VR: It has shown me that there is a need for Māori designed clothing, especially contemporary Māori menswear in Aotearoa.
DKS: What does it mean to stand alongside others at a similar moment in their journey?
VR: It is incredibly inspiring to be able to see what the future of Māori and Pasifika Fashion in Aotearoa looks like.
DKS: The garments feel deliberate and considered – what does “quality” mean to you on a deeper level?
VR: ‘Quality’ in my work is about intention as much as execution. I draw from many different sources covering everything from cultural and anthropological studies, to the historical significance of garment construction and textiles. This extends to references outside of fashion, so every detail has a reason behind it.
DKS: When do you know something is finished?
VR: When nothing else needs to be justified.
DKS: As your work begins to reach further, what are you most careful not to lose?
VR: Design integrity.
DKS: Do you feel more aligned with building a brand, or building a body of work over time?
VR: I am building a brand that not only sells clothes, but creates a space to foster and develop indigenous design. A place where people can engage with Māori design principles, understand where things come from, and see how they can exist in a contemporary context.
DKS: What continues to feel uncertain – or unresolved – in your practice?
VR: I always find that the more I learn, the less I know. I am always in a constant state of wanting to know more, learn more skills and improve my craft. This ensures that everything I create is a continuous development of what I have done before.
To attend the Kāhui Collective NZFW 2026 Runway at Shed 10 Queens Wharf (6pm August 20) and the associated NZ Indigenous Fashion Symposium (August 18-20) at the Cloud, follow the links below for further information and ticketing. It’s an exciting new addition to the schedule, bringing the world to our door!