From Kamanimbit to the National Runway: Four Sisters Carry East Sepik Art into PNG Fashion Week 2026

PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea — From the banks of the Sepik River to the national runway, four sisters are transforming generations of traditional knowledge into a powerful contemporary fashion story.

Roslyn Kuvi, Jacklyn Kuvi, Lina Asapi and Cynthia Mai are the creative force behind Nahna Designs, an emerging Papua New Guinean label rooted in the cultural heritage of Kamanimbit village in Angoram District, East Sepik Province.

Together, the sisters will present their first original collection at PNG Fashion Week 2026, taking place on 18 and 19 September at APEC Haus in Port Moresby.

Their showcase, titled “Crown Collection,” celebrates culturally inspired headpieces, accessories and bilas for both women and men. Drawing on traditional fibres, natural dyes, tree bark, shells, feathers and ceremonial forms, the collection carries the visual language of the sisters’ Iatmul heritage into a contemporary runway setting.

For Cynthia Mai, creativity was never something separate from everyday life. Born and raised in Wewak, she grew up surrounded by family members who created handicrafts, artefacts and traditional costume pieces.

“My mother and aunties had the greatest influence on the work that my sisters and I do today,” Cynthia said.

One of her earliest creative memories is of weaving a bilum. Although she felt the finished piece was imperfect, the experience of turning an idea into something tangible stayed with her.

“It was something I created from my own mind, and I was very happy to see the outcome,” she recalled.

Her aunt, Carol—her mother’s younger sister—was another important creative influence. Cynthia describes herself as the kind of child who could look at something and imagine how it might be adapted or recreated.

Art came first. Fashion followed as a larger platform through which that creativity could be expressed.

“I grew up with art, and later I became interested in fashion because I believed I could express my art in a greater way through it,” she said.

A Family Enterprise Built at the Craft Market

Before entering fashion, Cynthia and her sisters worked as artefact sellers at the Boroko Craft Market in Port Moresby. It was there that their work was discovered and they were introduced to PNG Fashion Week.

Their first significant runway experience came in September 2024, when they collaborated with leading Fijian designer Temesia and supplied accessories for the male models in his presentation.

That opportunity became a turning point.

In 2024, the sisters contributed accessories to support another designer’s collection. In 2026, they return with their own creative identity, original designs and a complete offering for both female and male models.

“We gained our inspiration from the 2024 runway,” Cynthia explained. “At that time, we supplied accessories for the male models. This year, we want to showcase our first original designs and accessories for both women and men.”

Their progression represents precisely what PNG Fashion Week was created to achieve: finding talent within communities, connecting traditional artisans to the fashion industry and helping local creators move from informal markets onto professional platforms.

Culture as Identity and Opportunity

For the sisters, contemporary fashion does not diminish the meaning of traditional art. Instead, it offers a new way to protect, promote and create economic opportunities from cultural knowledge.

“Through contemporary fashion, we do not lose the meaning or respect of our traditions,” Cynthia said. “We promote our cultural identity, and we also create market opportunities for ourselves.”

Their work honours the materials, techniques and ceremonial traditions that shaped their upbringing while presenting them in a form capable of reaching new audiences.

At the centre of the Crown Collection is Nahna Designs’ signature headpiece—a distinctive crown created from the sisters’ own artistic vision and cultural influences.

The crown is more than an accessory. It represents identity, dignity, womanhood and the creative authority of Papua New Guinean artisans.

Through the collection, the sisters want audiences to recognise the extraordinary cultural diversity of Papua New Guinea and understand that traditional knowledge can have a meaningful place within the modern fashion economy.

“We want people to see that we have a culture that is unique and diverse from the rest of the world,” Cynthia said. “We are proud to showcase it through fashion.”

The Work Behind Every Piece

While audiences may see only the finished creation on the runway, Cynthia says few people understand the time, patience and commitment required to produce every piece.

Traditional and culturally inspired design is often a lengthy process. Materials must be selected, prepared and assembled by hand, and every element must work together while retaining its artistic integrity.

The journey has included changing schedules, deferred opportunities and the challenge of creating an original collection for the first time. Yet the sisters have continued, supported by their family and encouraged by the growing response to their work.

Cynthia has already had the opportunity to speak about her designs through NBC and a New Zealand current-affairs program—achievements that gave her confidence that their art could travel beyond the craft market and reach international audiences.

She approaches fashion without comparison or competition.

“I have learnt that I do not have to compete or compare,” she said. “I am expressing our artwork through a contemporary fashion runway.”

A Vision Beyond Papua New Guinea

Although Nahna Designs remains deeply connected to Kamanimbit village and East Sepik Province, the sisters’ ambitions are global.

Cynthia hopes to see the brand featured on more runways throughout Papua New Guinea and internationally, particularly in Australia, the wider Pacific and London.

Opportunities such as Couture in Paradise and Paradise Runway in Brisbane would allow Nahna Designs to introduce its work to larger audiences, potential collaborators and international buyers.

The sisters are particularly interested in opportunities to produce custom-made art and designs based on their original work—ensuring their creativity remains recognisable, respected and connected to its cultural origins.

After their final model leaves the PNG Fashion Week runway, Cynthia wants people to remember the name Nahna Designs and recognise the sisters’ work whenever they encounter it again.

Their long-term vision is not only about personal success. It is also about encouraging younger generations from East Sepik and across Papua New Guinea to see art and fashion as legitimate forms of expression, enterprise and opportunity.

“Art is an expression of a person’s creativity,” Cynthia said. “No one can question the process that leads to the outcome.”

For Cynthia, designing is a continuation of the life she and her sisters have always known—growing up in a family that created for pleasure, cultural expression and income.

Now, that family tradition is stepping onto the national runway.

“Nahna Designs consists of four sisters: Roslyn Kuvi, Jacklyn Kuvi, Lina Asapi and Cynthia Mai,” she said. “We come from Kamanimbit village in Angoram District, East Sepik Province. Art is the creative expression of imagination.”

At PNG Fashion Week 2026, the four sisters will invite Papua New Guinea—and the world—to witness where that imagination can lead.