Designers, entrepreneurs and business leaders from across the Pacific gathered last week for the Pacific Fashion Summit, where discussions centred on how the region's creative sector can grow while safeguarding traditional knowledge and craft.
The summit, organised by PNG Fashion Week with support from the New Zealand High Commission, brought together voices from the fashion and creative industries to address some of the sector's most pressing challenges: the difficulties of local production, building dependable supply chains, designing sustainably, protecting intellectual property, and marketing to audiences both within the Pacific and internationally.
A recurring theme was the question of value — specifically, how businesses might properly calculate the worth of traditional knowledge and craftsmanship that underpin much of the region's fashion and design output. Participants also grappled with an increasingly urgent concern for creatives worldwide: how Pacific designers can protect their brands and cultural heritage as artificial intelligence reshapes the creative industries.
The New Zealand High Commission said it was proud to back the initiative, framing its support as part of a broader commitment to strengthening cultural ties and fostering growth in the Pacific's creative economy.
Organisers and attendees used the summit as a platform to exchange knowledge and experience, with the aim of equipping the region's designers and entrepreneurs to compete on a larger stage while keeping cultural integrity at the centre of their work.