Join us for an evening of fashion, film, and fundraising for breast cancer research in New Zealand.

Step into a world of beauty and brilliance at the Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, where Guo Pei's exquisite designs take center stage. Experience the magic of her iconic couture creations up close, then join us for an intimate conversation with two extraordinarily talented New Zealand women. 

Hear from international award-winning filmmaker Pietra Brettkelly and multi-talented internationally acclaimed fashion designer and trailblazer Kiri Nathan. 

Pietra Brettkelly is the director of the Oscar-selected documentary Yellow is Forbidden and Kiri Nathan is the first Māori fashion designer to open NZ Fashion Week: Kahuria.

This conversation promises to offer a very special insight into the genius of China’s most renowned couturier. You will hear first-hand about Guo Pei's passion and discipline.

After two years of documenting Guo Pei's journey, Pietra had attended four Paris Fashion Weeks, was a regular at Guo Pei’s atelier, watched designs turn from sketches into jaw-dropping creations, had full backstage access, saw Guo Pei's artistry transform the fashion world and developed a lifelong friendship with this visionary designer.

Kiri is a member of the NZ Order of Merit and finalist of New Zealander of the Year 2024. Her fashion work is deeply rooted in Māori culture and in indigenous practices and her designs have featured on the world’s red carpets and runways, adorning Beyoncé, Barack and Michelle Obama, Chelsea Winstanley and Jacinda Ardern.

Hosted by Breast Cancer Cure Ambassador Petra Bagust, don't miss this extraordinary opportunity to discover the untold stories from behind-the-scenes. Delve into the minds of two trailblazing artists united by a passion for pushing boundaries.

This is more than just an event; it's a journey into the heart and soul of fashion and film.

Your ticket includes;

• Exclusive after hours experience the Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki

• Exhibition entry to: Guo Pei: Fashion, Art, Fantasy 郭培 ：时装之幻梦

• Gain insight into the incredible couture world of Guo Pei. Hear from outstanding New Zealand Talent:  
  - Te Tumu Toi Arts Laureate winner Pietra Brettkelly as she offers intimate insights into the life and creative process of Guo Pei

  - Internationally renowned fashion designer Kiri Nathan as she shares her journey of blending Māori traditions into her designs and offers insights into Guo Pei's craftsmanship

• Enjoy canapes and New Zealand wines 

• A chance to enter a raffle for luxury items
  

Make a difference - all fundraising achieved will go to fund breast cancer research projects in New Zealand

Yellow is Forbidden - Oscar-selected.
New Zealand director Pietra Brettkelly takes us into the opulent world of show-stopping Chinese designer Guo Pei as she prepares for Paris Fashion Week and seeks admission into the exclusive club of haute couture.

Chinese designer Guo Pei made fashion headlines around the world when Rihanna wore her massive canary yellow gown to the Met Gala in 2015. If ever a dress was intended to stop the show, this was it. Typically of Guo Pei, it was intricately embroidered and bejewelled, the product of years rather than months of work – an opulent one-off, likely only ever to be worn on a catwalk or red carpet.

In milieux as different as Afghanistan (A Flickering Truth), South Sudan (The Art Star and the Sudanese Twins) and High School (Māori Boy Genius), New Zealand director Pietra has excelled as an enthralled yet keenly perceptive observer of highly driven individuals. In Guo Pei she meets a subject fit for the times. The contemporary hankering for imperial grandeur may never have looked more insanely magnificent than in Guo Pei’s world of wearable arts. Its roots in suppression, aptly alluded to in the film’s title, are astutely observed in Brettkelly’s fascinating, gorgeous film.

“With a remarkable eye for detail and exquisite blending of visual art forms, Pietra Brettkelly captures Guo’s drive, artistry, meticulousness, and acumen.” — Brian Gordon, Tribeca Film Festival

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