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Her screen-printed designs are based on
traditional and contemporary Maori patterns. She began creating fashion
garments with an emphasis on comfort and elegance, and classic simplicity.
She doesn't do small sizes; she has always worked in sizes 16 to 26.
She set up a workspace at home, printing, sewing and
selling the garments. Hanna Te Hemara of Maori Affairs gave her strong
support, promoting her work and wearing her clothes and often compering
her fashion shows. Maude also supplied retail in Auckland, Rotorua, the
South Island and Australia, along with commissions and direct selling
to many overseas visitors.
Her work has always been colourful and she says she
likes to educate women to wear bright colours.
Maude is a one-woman business; she does
her own designing, printing and marketing. The fabrics are screened and
block-printed. She uses cotton, silks polyesters and crepe micro-fibres.
Recently, she has also been making korowai
(traditional cloaks) from ostrich and emu feathers, combined with print.
Maude particularly enjoys meeting the
clients and getting direct feedback. She works
out of Whangarei and can be contacted on 09 4596693 or 025 6035546.
Jean Clarkson, POI Research Team, 2001 |