Pacific Designers Open Samoa Runway Opportunities for Four PNG Models

Four young Papua New Guinean models will travel to Samoa in 2027 after being selected by visiting Pacific designers, demonstrating how relationships formed through PNG Fashion Week are creating international opportunities for local talent.

Rowen Sam, Stephanie Kassman, Dwayne Donald and Joseph Paul were selected by Mareva Bower of Mareva Ocean and Joy Paese of Baseman Designs, who participated in PNG Fashion Week 2026. The designers will take the models to Samoa to participate in LIFECON’s tenth-anniversary programme.

The opportunity grew from the designers’ involvement in the Port Moresby event, where runway presentations and backstage interactions brought together creative practitioners from Papua New Guinea, Samoa and the wider region.

Two Papua New Guinean designers will also participate in LIFECON Samoa in 2027. Limda Philau Pius of Philau Kolxsen is the first designer selected, with PNG Fashion Week to announce the second designer at a later date.

The growing exchange builds on David Kila-Pat’s participation in LIFECON Samoa in 2026. His experience helped strengthen relationships between the two fashion communities and establish a foundation for further collaboration involving designers and models.

For PNG Fashion Week, these opportunities demonstrate the value of sustained regional engagement. Bringing international designers to Papua New Guinea creates space for them to discover local talent, share knowledge and develop relationships that continue beyond the event.

Founder and Managing Director Philma Kelegai expressed pride in the four models’ selection and the opportunity for Papua New Guinean designers to join LIFECON’s anniversary programme. The exchange supports PNG Fashion Week’s vision of developing pathways from communities to national runways and onwards to international platforms.

For the models, the visit will offer experience working with designers in a new setting, exposure to a regional fashion programme and the opportunity to represent Papua New Guinea. For the participating designers, it will provide a platform to share their work, cultural influences and creative perspectives with a new audience.

The relationship also creates opportunities for cultural learning. Through their work and time together, participants can share the traditions that inform their creativity, build friendships and deepen connections between Papua New Guinea and Samoa.

With both PNG Fashion Week and LIFECON marking their tenth year in 2027, the exchange will bring the two communities together at a significant moment in their development. PNG Fashion Week looks forward to participating in the celebrations and continuing to build opportunities through its relationships across the Pacific.