Kaftan meets Kiribati: custom print from Cyprus meets traditional ornamental beading from Kiribati

For The Commonwealth Fashion Exchange 2018, designer Afroditi Hera exchanged with artisans The Kiribati Handicraft Association to create a look that was inspired by the tradition and culture of both countries. The look was unveiled at Buckingham Palace on February 19, 2018, and later moved to the Australian High Commission, London, where it was open to the public in the run up to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Summit, April 2018.

Made up of 33 atolls and reefs including Christmas Island, in the central Pacific, Kiribati is dispersed across 1.3 million square miles. The indigenous handicrafts of the Pacific are manifold, with Kiribati specializing in ornamental beadwork and grass-weaving. The association is part of a larger group of artisans working out of the region, known as Pacific Artisans, who are all working to increase women’s economic standing through preserving traditional crafts, and giving them an international platform.