Stella Magazine

PNG’s own magazine breaks new ground

And this week, the magazine has burst through a paper ceiling to launch indigenous voices from the region into 400 Australian outlets nationwide.

Indigenous people everywhere are typecast and pigeonholed on a daily basis, always left holding the onus to prove oneself in mainstream society.

This week, while defending her calls to change the Australian Racial Discrimination Act, One Nation leader Pauline Hanson stated that, “There’s no definition of an Aboriginal…”, disregarding eons of Aboriginal heritage and by the same brush, eons of indigenous culture worldwide.

PNG designer launches fashion on international stage

Winner of the inaugural Stella Runway 2016 Designer of the Year Award, Genevieve Igara-Falevai, the designer and founder of Wantok Clothing, showcased her label’s unique on 21 October.

An accidental fashion designer, Genevieve passed on a career in economics to follow her passion to create beautiful garments with a Papua New Guinean twist.

Starting her label in 2015, Genevieve has been awarded Miss Pacific Islands Pageant Project Runway 2015 and 2016; Stella Runway 2016 Designer of the Year; and dresser for Miss Papua New Guinea 2015 and 2016.

Great Economic Potential in Fashion Industry

“It just goes to say that there’s definitely an interest in this industry and everyone’s trying to create opportunities.

“Definitely, fashion is a billion dollar industry in the world wide and something that we should be tapping into in PNG.

“It provides so many jobs, whether it’s down to people who are making buttons out of coconut shells, there’s so much opportunity in this industry and that’s in modelling, photography, design, clothing, and providing jobs in shops for people who want to work with fashion also.”

She said with the runway: