Anastasia Rickard has always adored scientific research and laboratory work. Her grandmother, Leilani, is a talented weaver. Through their fashion brand, Natura Aura, the family has found a unique way to combine their skills.
YOUR GRANDMOTHER IS A WEAVER AND YOU’RE A SCIENTIST. HOW DID YOU DECIDE TO CREATE A FASHION BRAND TOGETHER?
My grandmother has been a weaver for over 40 years. She’s very well-known in the traditional and contemporary Māori arts world. I’ve been lucky to learn from her since the age of 9 – it started with flowers, then mats, then backpacks. We still weave piupiu together for schools, Kapa haka groups and art collectors. My grandmother even wrote a book for people who wanted to learn how to make traditional piupiu from scratch. We were weavers before we were fashion designers and we’ll never forget that. When I was 13, she branched into contemporary weaving, bringing this beautiful art form into the 21st century to wear every day and not just for performances. I modelled those outfits.
At 18 I started working at Scion in Rotorua, studying weaving plants – harakeke (New Zealand flax), ti kouka (cabbage tree), Pīkao (golden sand sedge) – under a microscope. There, I met a woman who was researching harakeke and invited her to meet my grandmother and learn more about the uses of the plant. As a koha for her time, my colleague gifted my grandmother microscopic pictures of the plant. When I explained what they were, the idea of using microscopic work as prints was born. Showing people the inside of a plant is quite a unique take on fashion and helps them learn more about indigenous flora. We loved mixing traditions and science in our rainwear collection, inspired by traditional Māori rainwear, and high-end hosiery with kiwiana and indigenous flair.
HOW DO YOU MAKE TRADITIONS, ART, FASHION AND SCIENCE WORK IN HARMONY?
Our family has always been big on traditions and heritage. Apart from Māori ancestors, we also have Spanish, Brazilian, British, Scottish, Namibian and Indian roots. I think everyone should be proud of where they come from; it needs to be celebrated. Being able to get inspired by traditional cuts, silhouettes and fabrics gave me a competitive advantage in the fashion industry. Fashion is about expressing yourself and how you like for people to perceive you as a person. Art is about how you see the world around you. And without science there would be no fabrics, no dyes, no variety of printing and design methods. They all tie in perfectly! My grandmother and I have been working in all these areas, so could incorporate our skills into the brand.
It’s very interesting to be able to pull from different cultures and create something magical. It’s something that needs to be celebrated, that’s what we are, we are what our ancestry is, everyone should be proud of where they come from.
YOU AND LEILANI LEAD THE BRAND. HOW DO YOU DIVIDE THE RESPONSIBILITIES BETWEEN THE TWO OF YOU?
My grandmother is the creative mind behind a lot of the things we do. Coming from a researcher background, I’m really good at making the dreams happen, so I do a lot of the day-to-day operations, and run sales and marketing. I transferred skills that I’ve learned from the lab into fashion. I like being involved in big projects that will not just benefit our label but also the community. In October this year, I’m opening a research and development division and we also plan to open an Art & Culture preservation division which will focus on weaving and our traditional and contemporary weaving practices that we want to preserve through educating and training people. Educating people is the best way to keep our culture alive and we want to uplift people, to give them an opportunity to learn more about their own history as well as other cultures. Even though we’re fashion designers, we were weavers before that and being able to do it together is a therapeutic experience for us.
YOUR BRAND HAS BEEN A SUCCESS FROM THE START. WHAT ACHIEVEMENT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF?
That’s a very hard question! And one, I guess, my grandmother and I would answer differently. For me, it was our first show at New Zealand Fashion Week. I was only 23 at the time, juggling a research career, taking the first steps in fashion and studying. A lot was going on in my life; there was no time to look around, and suddenly I’m at this big event and everyone is so excited about our microscopic prints and simply adored our collection. I felt so blessed! My grandmother would probably name Paris Fashion Week, though. She loved the city and how everyone was dressed to impress; how much time and effort went into every inch of people’s attires – it took her breath away and inspired her in many ways.
AND WHO INSPIRES YOU?
I look up to designers like Alexander McQueen and Christian Dior. I also like Jeremy Scott’s works for Moschino – his unique perspective, humour, bold statements and structured garments. Outside the fashion world, Frida Kahlo. She had such a hard life but did her best to make something beautiful out of it. That’s what everybody should do! Life is so short and we often get caught up in small things, missing all the beauty around.
WHAT DOES THE NEW ZEALAND FASHION SCENE LOOK LIKE?
Being a designer in New Zealand is very unique. We’re a very small country and a rather laid-back one, but there are so many different designers with different ideas here! To be perfectly honest, there could be more support, especially for young, emerging designers. They need moral support and also financial support for different projects.
YOU NOW LIVE AND WORK IN TAURANGA BUT NATURA AURA IS BASED IN ROTORUA. WHAT’S IT LIKE LIVING BETWEEN TWO TOWNS?
I travel to Rotorua at least once a week. That’s where my grandmother and the warehouse for our brand are located. Rotorua will always be my home – I grew up there, my relatives and friends are there. When I’m in Rotorua, walking down the familiar streets, I feel like everyone recognises me and greets me with nice words. But Tauranga is starting to feel more like home as well. I love the relaxed atmosphere, the beaches and the community, which has been nothing but welcoming and supportive to me. I’ve met a lot of wonderful people here and made new friends. I look forward to meeting more local creatives and, hopefully, do some demonstrations and exhibitions with them to showcase the work we’ve done. I’m truly lucky to have two homes now.
IN TAURANGA, YOU ALSO WORK AT BAKELS EDIBLE OILS. WHY TAKE ON YET ANOTHER RESPONSIBILITY?
I love working in laboratories, love research and development processes! In Hamilton a few years ago, I worked as a food and honey chemistry laboratory technician – doing heavy metal analysis, progesterone analysis, wine analysis, gluten testing… Up to 30 different tests in total! My current job is on a smaller scale because it’s a production lab and not a manufacturing lab. I wanted to give Bakels a go because I haven’t worked at a production manufacturing laboratory before, so it’s been an interesting experience. What attracted me to this position was the lovely people who work there. It keeps me grounded and allows me to meet people that I would never have met otherwise.
HOW DO YOU RELAX AND SWITCH OFF?
I like running! I was a track runner when I was younger and then my best friend introduced me to marathons. Being able to see how hard you can push yourself, to unleash your physical and mental potential is what fascinates me. People who run or train alongside me are the most inspirational ever. I ran the Rotorua marathon with my sister and felt like we bonded even more, while fighting the same fight against the tiredness and soreness together. I’ve now run most of the New Zealand marathons at least three times. I also did the Rarotonga marathon and The Great Wall marathon in China, but my favourite was the Walt Disney World marathon in Florida – a four-day event, where we had to run 5km on the first day, 10km on the second, 21.1km on the third, and finally a full marathon on day four. It was honestly the most incredible experience of my life!