OFAE Arts: Wearing Papua New Guinea’s Story, Identity and Economic Future

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PORT MORESBY, PAPUA NEW GUINEA — For Geoff and Nini Eri, fashion is not simply about what people wear. It is about identity, memory, national pride and creating products that allow Papua New Guineans to recognise one another wherever they may be in the world.

Through their emerging label, OFAE Arts, the husband-and-wife creative team is building a brand inspired by Papua New Guinea’s cultural heritage and shaped by an ambitious commercial vision: to create distinctive PNG garments that can be worn at home, throughout the Pacific and across the global diaspora.

OFAE Arts will present its latest collection at PNG Fashion Week 2026, held on 18 and 19 September at APEC Haus in Port Moresby. The appearance marks only the brand’s second runway showcase, following its debut in Brisbane in July 2026.

Yet behind this relatively young fashion enterprise lies a much longer story—one that connects Gulf Province, Papua New Guinean literature, childhood creativity, migration, family, enterprise and the growing potential of the country’s creative economy.

A Creative Inheritance

Geoff Eri was born at St Theresa Hospital in Hohola, Port Moresby, and spent part of his early childhood in Sydney and Canberra, where his father, the late Sir Vincent Serei Eri, served Papua New Guinea in Australia.

An author, diplomat, public servant and later Governor-General of Papua New Guinea, Sir Vincent was also a hobby oil painter. Watching his father paint at home planted the earliest seeds of creativity in Geoff.

“My greatest influence was my father,” Geoff recalled. “He was a hobby oil painter, and from an early age I became interested in painting and drawing.”

One of Geoff’s earliest paintings was a hibiscus flower completed while he was a student at Ela Murray International School in Port Moresby. He carried a sketchbook, constantly drew pictures and developed a particular fascination with aircraft—especially the Boeing 747.

That childhood habit of observing, sketching and imagining would eventually find its way into fashion.

Although Geoff grew up in Hohola and spent part of his childhood in Australia, home remains deeply connected to Louapo, Iokea village in Gulf Province, and to the Toaripi-speaking community from which his family comes.

The carvings, masks, stories and cultural objects displayed in his family home ensured that Gulf identity was always present, even when the family lived abroad.

That experience—being Papua New Guinean while living outside Papua New Guinea—would later become central to the purpose of OFAE Arts.

From Literature to Fashion

At the heart of the OFAE Arts identity is the crocodile.

The symbol is closely connected to Sir Vincent Eri’s celebrated novel, The Crocodile, published in 1970 and widely recognised as the first novel written by a Papua New Guinean. The book occupies a significant place in the country’s literary history and explores Papua New Guinean experiences during the colonial era and the Second World War. The Australian Dictionary of Biography records Sir Vincent’s extraordinary journey through education, literature, diplomacy and public service.

For OFAE Arts, The Crocodile is more than a family reference. It offers an important creative foundation from which characters, ideas and symbols can be interpreted through contemporary design.

Geoff hopes to develop this inspiration further, bringing the story and its characters into future collections and eventually onto international runways.

This is where OFAE Arts becomes more than a merchandise label. It sits at the intersection of literature, visual art, cultural memory and fashion—demonstrating how one Papua New Guinean story can move between generations and creative disciplines.

A story first carried through the written word can now be reinterpreted through fabric, colour, print and garment design.

Clothing as a Declaration of Belonging

OFAE Arts began as a passion project driven by a simple but powerful desire: to create merchandise that immediately identifies the wearer as Papua New Guinean.

For people living abroad, clothing can carry an emotional significance far beyond style. A shirt in Papua New Guinea’s national colours can provide a sense of belonging in cities and communities far from home. It can begin conversations, connect strangers and communicate identity before a single word is spoken.

The brand’s first garment was a Papua New Guinea polo shirt produced while Geoff and his family were living in Blackwater, in Queensland’s Central Highlands.

The immediate support came from family members and Papua New Guinean community friends in Blackwater and Emerald. They understood the value of garments that allowed them to visibly celebrate where they came from.

When Geoff imagines the person wearing OFAE Arts, he does not design for a narrow or exclusive market. He imagines Papua New Guineans of different ages, professions and backgrounds, living anywhere in the world.

“What do I want someone to feel when they wear one of our designs? ‘I am from PNG,’” he said.

If an OFAE Arts garment could speak, its message would be equally direct: “You are a child of Papua New Guinea.”

A Business Built for the PNG Diaspora

This focus gives OFAE Arts a market that extends well beyond Papua New Guinea’s borders.

Papua New Guineans now live, study, work and raise families across Australia, New Zealand, the Pacific, Asia, Europe and North America. Many remain strongly connected to their cultural identity and look for meaningful ways to express that connection.

OFAE Arts is positioning itself within that demand.

Its clothing is intended for everyday customers, community groups, cultural events, sporting occasions and members of the global PNG diaspora. The brand’s value lies in creating something visibly Papua New Guinean while remaining practical enough to be worn in different settings.

This model carries genuine economic potential.

When a Papua New Guinean design is transformed into a commercial garment, value is created at several points. Artists develop the imagery. Designers shape the product. Fabric and manufacturing services are sourced. Printers, embroiderers and finishers contribute to production. Photographers, models and content creators help market the collection. Retailers and event organisers connect the product with customers. Freight, packaging and digital platforms allow the garment to travel.

One design can therefore support an entire network of creative, technical and commercial activity.

For Papua New Guinea, developing this ecosystem is important because the creative economy enables people to build livelihoods from intellectual property, cultural knowledge and original ideas—not only from the extraction of physical resources.

Turning Cultural Identity into Economic Value

Papua New Guinea possesses one of the richest cultural landscapes in the world. Its visual languages, stories, symbols, textiles and traditional art practices carry enormous creative value.

However, cultural richness does not automatically produce economic opportunity. It must be supported by ethical design, strong business systems, quality manufacturing, intellectual-property protection, market access and professional platforms.

Brands such as OFAE Arts help demonstrate how that transition can occur.

By translating PNG identity into wearable products, the label creates a commercial pathway for culture. Its garments can generate income while also promoting Papua New Guinea in new markets.

A customer wearing OFAE Arts in Brisbane, Suva, Auckland, Singapore or London becomes part of that cultural promotion. The garment functions as a product, a conversation starter and a small piece of Papua New Guinea’s international identity.

The opportunity becomes even greater when connected to tourism and national events. Visitors often want to purchase something authentic and memorable from the places they experience. Distinctive locally designed apparel can become part of the country’s tourism offering, allowing visitors to take home a product that carries a Papua New Guinean story.

The Difficult Reality of Building a Creative Business

The growth of OFAE Arts has not come without setbacks.

Geoff speaks openly about financial losses and the difficulty of understanding the systems and processes required to turn creativity into a sustainable business.

The label has experienced the challenges familiar to many emerging designers: limited production runs, inconsistent material quality, high costs, manufacturing mistakes and the pressure of attempting to build a market before profit is guaranteed.

“Cut your losses, learn from them and start again,” Geoff said of the lessons the journey has taught him.

Rather than hiding these difficulties, he regards them as part of the development of the business. Each setback has strengthened his understanding of material quality, production standards and the importance of attention to detail.

These lessons matter because the future of Papua New Guinea’s fashion industry depends not only on creativity but also on reliable products. For local brands to compete internationally, garments must meet consistent standards in fabric, construction, sizing, printing and finishing.

OFAE Arts is still learning, refining and testing its identity. That willingness to experiment while improving quality is central to its progress.

“Some of the best things are often a mistake,” Geoff said, reflecting on the unexpected discoveries that can emerge during the creative process.

From Brisbane to the National Runway

The brand’s invitation to participate in its first runway presentation in Brisbane in July 2026 marked an important milestone. Just months later, OFAE Arts is preparing for its second showcase—this time on Papua New Guinea’s national runway.

For Geoff and Nini, being selected for PNG Fashion Week 2026 is both an honour and an opportunity to gain exposure, strengthen the brand and learn more about presenting a complete collection.

Audiences can expect a showcase grounded in Papua New Guinean identity, with the black PNG polo shirt carrying particular personal significance.

The garment reflects the original purpose of OFAE Arts: creating clothing that enables Papua New Guineans to be recognised in any crowd.

The ambition is not to disappear among competing labels, but to establish a visual signature so distinct that audiences immediately recognise an OFAE Arts garment.

A Vision for Papua New Guinea’s Sporting Future

Looking ahead, Geoff and Nini have identified another major ambition: dressing Papua New Guinea’s sportsmen and women for international events.

Sport is one of the most powerful expressions of national identity. When Papua New Guinean athletes compete internationally, their uniforms and official apparel are seen by global audiences. Locally designed clothing would allow the country’s athletes to carry a stronger visual representation of PNG culture onto the international stage.

This ambition could also contribute to economic development.

Sports apparel involves repeat production, licensing, sponsorship, distribution and merchandising. If more of that work is undertaken by Papua New Guinean-owned companies, the financial value can remain within the country while supporting designers, manufacturers and suppliers.

The vision of OFAE Arts is therefore larger than an individual runway collection. It includes the possibility of becoming part of how Papua New Guinea presents itself internationally—through fashion, community merchandise and sport.

Creating a Path for the Next Generation

OFAE Arts also represents an important example for emerging designers who may not have formal fashion training or access to established industry networks.

Geoff began with a hobby, a sketchbook, family encouragement and the desire to make something that represented his country. His journey demonstrates that creative careers do not always begin through conventional pathways.

His advice to young designers is simple: recognise opportunity and pursue it.

“Just be yourself. Opportunity is looking at you—identify it and pursue it,” he said.

To those who believe an international fashion career is impossible, he offers an even more direct message: “Dream big. Dreams are free.”

That statement captures the spirit of many emerging Papua New Guinean creative enterprises. They begin with imagination, but their growth can produce real economic outcomes—income for families, employment for young people, demand for local services, new products for export and greater visibility for the country.

Wearing a Story the World Cannot Ignore

OFAE Arts is still at the beginning of its journey, but its foundation is strong: family, heritage, national pride and the belief that Papua New Guinea deserves to be visible.

Geoff does not believe creativity must follow a predetermined script. For him, design can emerge through experimentation, imperfection and unexpected discoveries, eventually becoming a marker of identity shaped by family, clan and cultural inheritance.

That philosophy gives OFAE Arts its purpose.

The brand is not asking Papua New Guineans to wear clothing that simply follows international trends. It is inviting them to wear something that identifies them, connects them to home and gives others a reason to stop and look again.

“Wherever you are in the world, what you are wearing will make someone stop and have another look,” Geoff said. “Not because you are pretty or handsome, but because you are wearing something unique—with a taste of Papua New Guinea’s culture, heritage and tradition.”

When OFAE Arts steps onto the PNG Fashion Week runway, it will carry more than a collection.

It will carry the artistic inheritance of a father and son, the legacy of one of Papua New Guinea’s most important literary works, the identity of Gulf Province, the experience of the diaspora and the commercial promise of a creative industry determined to take its place in the national economy.

OFAE Arts is not merely designing garments. It is creating something Papua New Guineans can wear as a declaration: This is who we are. This is where we come from. And this is the future we are building.