PNG's bilum meri

PNG’s signature design

And bilum meri herself, Florence Jaukae Kamel, says interest has rapidly grown since her first ever international runway in New York.

“I’ve got huge orders which I attend to all the time,” she said.

It was a step of faith, turning PNG’s traditional concept of string bag into clothing and changing designs with the fashion trend, while holding on to the basis of string bilum itself.

Last weekend, Kamel showcased the bilum on her second international runway – the Pacific International Runway in Sydney.

PNG fashion team returns from runway

The fashion body introduced PNG's bilum meri, Florence Jaukae Kamel, to the Pacific Fashion International Runway last Saturday.

The JFK collection was the winner from the PNG Fashion and Design Week 2017 early this month.

In true PNG fashion, JFK showcased the bilum dresses on this platform.

"While everyone came with printed fabric and other styles, I brought PNG bilum, hand twisted and woven. This is another opportunity I'm proud of," she said.