Thanushi’s set for fashion week
As Pukekohe’s Thanushi Marage sketched out a military-inspired backpack, she was taken back to her childhood.
She was transported to days in Sri Lanka where she felt scared and wished she had gear that could protect her from the feeling of terror.
These designs have now come to life as - a collection of backpacks and rainwear, which Marage will be showcasing at New Zealand Fashion Week 2017.
The 22-year-old AUT Bachelor of Fashion Design student is the only university student to showcase at this year’s New Zealand Fashion Week (NZFW).
Growing up in Sri Lanka, Marage said she had lived through civil war for 10 years, before moving to New Zealand in 2008 when she was 13.
‘‘I know a lot of lecturers got sick of the fact I was speaking about death and war and the military,’’ Marage said.
‘‘But I can’t get away from it, because I’ve experienced it. It’s just who I am.
‘‘There were scary moments for my parents. We would go to school and they would be thinking, is my kid going to come home?’’
Marage said the feeling of protection was one of the driving forces behind her design work.
‘‘[The backpack] covers and shields a vulnerable part of the body, the back.’’
Marage said her journey into fashion design started during high school.
‘‘I was doing art at Pukekohe High School and was planning to take art [at university] but came across a Givenchy fashion show.
‘‘I’d never watched fashion shows growing up and I just kind of started thinking of the whole process. It’s glamorous, it is hard work, but the glamour pulled me into it.’’
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