It’s clothing art but with a twist. Pairama Wright of Ngā Ruahine, Te Āti Awa, Kāti Māmoe descent is using his art skills in a different way, using bleach to stain clothes.
“Once I saw a TikTok and a woman was bleaching a jumper. I thought, can I?...I can!” he said.
He has been a keen artist since he was at school.
He says some of the requests that have come to him have been quite special.
From his home in Wellington, he’s using his talents to help whānau express themselves through fashion.
“Nui rawa ngā tono ataahua kua tae mai ki ahau. Tētahi wahine i tērā atu rangi i tono mai kia peitahia tētahi maunga, Hikurangi maunga, nō Te Tai Rāwhiti ia, me tētahi pikitia. Ka tū ia ki mua i te maunga me te tiro atu ki te maunga, ā, kei ia taha āna tamariki. He ataahua ēnā momo tono "
“I have had so many beautiful requests. One woman the other day asked for a picture of a mountain, Hikurangihe. S’s from the East Coast. She’s standing in front of the mountain and on each side of her are her children. Those requests are special.”
Now he has a whopping 270,000 followers on TikTok and another 15,000 followers on Instagram. He says his digital footprint has impacted his side-hustle in a good way.
“I remember when I started to get a following, I said to myself, ‘you need to create a business where other people are paying you to share their products’. I should just be sharing my own mahi and working for myself.”
He wants to make sure his work is impactful.
“People come to me with their ideas, and sometimes there’s a manu, a specific manu that represents their nan, and they want that on their clothes. It makes them feel more special.”
“I’ve had people message me and say, ‘I’ve opened the package and I just started crying.’ That’s what I’m trying t achieve. It’s about making a sentimental piece of art for you to wear on your tinana.”
Wright is now setting his sights on the big time with a goal of some day being a part of World of Wearable Arts.