Kiri Nathan

Nathan was born in New Zealand in 1972. Her iwi are Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Hine, Ngāti Hauā, Ngāti Maru and Ngāti Paoa. She spent her early childhood living and going to school between Scotland and New Zealand. At about age 10, her family settled in Glen Innes, Auckland. When her parents divorced, she lived with her grandmother, seamstress Inez Fullerton, in St Heliers, who taught her how to sew. Nathan's grandmother, and mother, Rozelle Fullerton, both made their own clothes. Nathan was introduced to the fashion industry by designer Kim Fraser who was her mentor after high school, and tutor when Nathan did her three-year diploma in visual arts at the Manukau Institute of Technology, majoring in fashion. After graduating, Nathan learned traditional and contemporary Māori weaving and became a flight attendant and then an in-flight manager for Ansett and Air New Zealand for 14 years. She met her husband Jason Te Ahu Renata Nathan (Ngāpuhi and Ngāti Whātua) and his child in 1998. They married and had three more children. While working at Air New Zealand, Nathan entered various fashion competitions including the New Zealand Wearable Art Awards. In 2008, she won the Supreme Award at Style Pasifika. Winning the major prize, she and her husband had the confidence to start their own label. == Work ==

Nathan started her Kiri Nathan high-end fashion label in 2010, and she and her husband launched their first collections in 2012. From 2017 to 2022, Nathan led several trade visits to China to support groups of Māori fashion designers. In 2020, Nathan dressed Jojo Rabbit producer Chelsea Winstanley in a handwoven gown for the Oscars red carpet when she was the first indigenous producer nominated for best picture. In 2022, Nathan moved her business from her small Auckland home and studio, into her showroom, creative workshop and operations hub called Te Āhuru Mōwai, meaning shelter or safe haven, in Glen Innes. The working space is where Nathan makes her clothing and woven kākahu, and it is also a community hub for future of Aotearoa fashion designers to be mentored. In 2023, the Kahui Collective sold its designs at a pop-up store at Te Ahuru Mōwai. In 2023 Nathan was the first Māori designer to open New Zealand Fashion Week in its 22-year history, with a spectacular runway show telling the story of the evolution of Māori garments and culture. In December 2024, Nathan opened her store in the Britomart shopping precinct in central Auckland called Kiri Nathan. All pieces in the store are 100% made in Aotearoa / New Zealand. Nathan serves on the board of the WOW World of Wearable Arts, the advisory board for New Zealand Fashion Week, the New Zealand China Council board, the New Zealand Mindful Fashion board, the advisory board for Super Diverse Woman and is a founding board member of the I have a Dream charitable trust that helps disadvantaged children achieve academic success. She is a founding member of Wāhine Toa, identifying and mentoring leadership in young Māori women. == Recognition ==

by the governor-general, Dame Patsy Reddy, at Government House, Auckland, on 24 September 2020 In 2019, Nathan was named the MWDI (Māori Women's Development Incorporated) Māori Business Woman of the Year, and also received a Blake Leader award the same year. The same year she was recognised for her 'Contribution to Māori Fashion' in the FQ Fashion Awards. == Personal life ==

Nathan lives in Mount Wellington, Auckland with her husband and business partner, Jason Te Ahu Renata Nathan, who is the master carver behind the Kiri Nathan brand's notable pounamu designs. They have five children and four grandchildren. In 2021, Nathan completed an intensive 36-week full-immersion te reo Māori language programme. == See also ==