Review: Te Wiki Āhua o Aotearoa ‘The Past’, 27th March 2025 [Web Exclusive]

WEB EXCLUSIVE | ĀHUA | REVIEW | ARTS

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

You probably would’ve had to be there to get it, but more fashion shows should be set in car parks. Behind the Grey’s Avenue Basement Theatre, vibrant techno blasts as the sun slowly fades - a mesmerising prequel to Ohn’s solo show, whisking us off to a party back to The Past.

The collection was spliced up into four distinct explorations of specific themes. From queer fem-queen militants to Tartan displays of a punk-like nature, each of them immensely vibrant in every use of the word.

Two models in traditional garments with tied fabrics around their waists and coloured beads opened the show. As the first model completes their strut down the runway, they are met by the second and promptly pose together. The previous model would touch the next - a baton-pass moment that felt powerful, revealing strong themes of community. The “baton-passes” would continue between models throughout the show.

All of a sudden, a black jeep drove into a corner, and two dancers came out voguing on the car and down the yellow-streaked concrete runway.

This is why we need more runways in car parks.

You could tell who in attendance was a Vivienne Westwood fanatic, as they immediately took out their phone for the next looks on the “runway”. With punk-ish bold tartan and plad patterns on display, you’d have to be clueless not to have the British fashion icon come to mind. Yet, there was the other element of the play on the high school uniform, which holds more significance in their reading. Each look displayed this it-girl moment of confidence, a hint of trouble - and two weeks detention!.

As if in response to the disorderly rebels, gay militants storm through the runway. Big leather caps on each of their head gave a campy supervillain stature, topped with some fabulous capes to boot. Out of the whole show, this moment truly showed the designer’s passion for saturated colour in the looks on display.

Finally, we reached the end, fashionably saying goodbye as the closing looks play on club and ballroom scene fashion. Everything here is made out of recycled denim clothes to make Y2K fashion into contemporary club fits of the now. If this already wasn’t such a good play on the celebratory, we end with the final two models running down the runway giving out candy to each viewer.

If there are two things to get from this show, it’s that;

1. Ohn knows how to expressively slay a theme.

2. Carparks are the best place to have a fashion show.