In the third installment of our Te Wiki Āhua o Aotearoa story, we find ourselves seized by the echo chamber. A space where the glamour is loud, the pressure hits harder and the line between opportunity and exploitation becomes dangerously thin.

This is not your hero’s journey. It’s a mirror held up to an industry that grooms and consumes. Where control is dressed up as mentorship, and creativity is traded like currency. Yet, we find ourselves returning. Not because it’s easy, but because it matters. Our stories matter.

We give everything because we know, every season of Āhua, that this might be the last time we get to make this stand. We’re a community of young, scrappy, and hungry creatives that show up to the arena seemingly ill-equipped and eyes bigger than our stomachs.

Every show this August 22nd – 30th is more than just a runway, it’s a declaration. It’s a stand for what we value, what we protect, and what we carry forward as a community.

Runway 08

Show Title - Grit & Bear It

In a world that tells you to fold, ‘Grit & Bear It’ dares you to hold your ground. Featuring uncompromising streetwear by Ruohan Zhao, Maxwell Ryan, Langley, and River&Sol, this show is a tribute to staying true when it would be easier to disappear. This is for the ones who clench their jaws and move forward, not by becoming someone else, but by digging deeper into who they already are. Whether rooted in heritage, personal history, or the quiet strength of simply surviving - this show is about choosing not to forget. Choosing not to flinch. Every stitch speaks of resistance. Every look is a refusal to break. This is streetwear that doesn’t flinch - bold, raw, and uncompromising. When the world pushes, push back. Grit and bear it.