Review: Te Wiki Āhua o Aotearoa 'No Kingdom Come', 27th of March [Web Exclusive]

WEB EXCLUSIVE | ĀHUA | REVIEW | ARTS | FASHION

Written and photographed by Natasha Munro Hurn (she/her) | @utopia_for_sale | Contributing Writer

A ballerina bursts onto the runway, twirling around to some experimental pop. Accompanied by the glitter on my face, placed by one of the Āhua staff pre-show, as well as a thick haze of fog surrounding the room, made it clear that I was battle ready. Ready to enter the realms each designer had constructed - that within No Kingdom Come.

Ellanne kicked off with a dream-like, dear I say, mythic ballad-infused collection. Holding fabrics that resemble soft golden silk and white in garments straight from a poem of old. This concept moved to a more contemporary take on this softness in shirt and pant combinations, yet ended in a white dress that had the fabrics fold like a flower. 

Elizabeth May brought elements of nature, goddesses, and confidence in the feminine body through her looks. Drapes of fabrics sewn onto dresses resemble earthly to aquatic tones. The looks revealed the body in this matched sense of power, which was accompanied by each model’s strut.

Ella Fidler took us straight into the storybook. Maidens who were the main characters of their journey, a gorgeous green princess look and even some knights that seemed to hit notes of the futuristic. The most vibrant is this blue crochet garment that takes on a radical take of a princess look. 

Pascal’s collection placed us into the fantasy with a fun exploration of the shade red. They felt like high royalty garnmnets, with hints of the Roman empire in the more light and flowy fashion on display. Each of the looks here held this fiery energy within its presence. 

The ballerina returned, this time with another dressed in black with a balaclava on, as they intensely danced together, Black Swan style.

All shown prior felt like a good ramp-up of energy, because Evulwrld’s collection came out like an explosion. Strobing club lights stunned the room of attendees, as each model brought out looks straight out of Final Fantasy. They held that beloved goth black, street punk, gender-bending madness that makes the best JPRG so intoxicating. Evulwrld came out to revel in the glory but then tussled their gimp model to the floor and dramatically dragged him off of the stage.

 An iconic way to end this story (or fashion show, rather), for sure.