LONTESSA
LONTESSA
Born from the meeting of Māori culture and modern luxury, Lontessa creates sustainable high fashion that carries the soul of New Zealand in every stitch. Under their creative platform 'Hei Honore' (In Honour), their collections marry traditional craftsmanship with contemporary design, offering pieces that honour both land and legacy.
Work completed through Willow & Blake.
WHAT WE DID
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Manifestos
In honour of harmony and rebirth.
Forces of creation and renewal intertwine within a collection formed for the constant cycle of the natural world. Inspired by Papatūanuku, the Earth Mother - the birthplace of all things, and the place to which they return. Through linen forms and earthbound shades, be reborn for this fleeting moment in time, and all that follows.
To honour earth, energy, and element.
Within our world, there resounds a heartbeat. A rhythm that reverberates through every corner. The pulse that perpetually renews and sustains all that exists. This eternal cycle echoes onward, encompassing creation, existence, and rebirth.
Our earth, with each breath, nurtures and nourishes us. We bear witness to the powerful system that sustains us, and the delicate balance of life that renews it.\\
In honour of: the Earth Mother.
She is the silent guardian of the ebb and flow of existence. In her sacred terrain, we discover sustenance and harmony. Papatūanuku’s unwavering presence calls us to remember our interconnectedness, and to protect her perpetual cycle of growth and return.
In honour of: The rituals of nature.
Our path is lined with harakeke. We learn from its strength, versatility, and adaptability. Move through flax and fold, bead and lace, and witness a renaissance of what once sheltered, clothed, and healed.
In honour of: Our woven histories.
In warp and weft, we find the echoes of our ancestors, their wisdom and traditions immortalised. Stories weave through time to meet us here, in this place where nature and material are reborn together,
In honour of power and possibility.
Where anarchy meets art, this collection unites the great forces of rebellion and ritual. Inspired by the Maori God of War and Sun Tzu’s The Art of War, adorn yourself in gilded metallics, regal silks and carved fabrics fit for the power and precision of the warrior.
To honour the mana we inherit.
Culture is born, rises, and falls on our backs. Through time and across cultures, the warrior woman is worshipped; those who conquer high above, who fight with both mind and teeth, who plan for peace and embrace their power. In a world where art and war unite, Tūmatauenga, God of War and Sun Tzu come together as strategy meets strength, and chaos meets cunning.
The warrior woman, reborn.
A war of expression is fought with the art of individualism. Reignite the fight of the feminine. In carved fabric and lace armour, the warrior rises, draped with obsidian darkness and opulent metallics.
The reign of the ritual.
Two cultures unite in ritual as luminous metallics weave through structured forms. Embrace considered movements and practise power in classic cuts with new edge.
A unified world.
To move as one is to understand our greater purpose. We are creators of culture. To connect is to protect our mana—our spiritual energy—and feel its power through textures, form, and fabric.